JIA Case Files : Street of Tokyo
by Istoria
Summary: *COMPLETE 7/17* A/U Modern Day Tokyo. A cop and a yakuza. An informant and a detective. A street thug and a doctor. A threat against Tokyo. Can these six people find a way to stop a yakuza takeover? Or will they just be the next victims?
1. Prologue

Author's Note:  
  
Okay… so this is my first attempt at a RK AU fic. The other one seems to be going pretty well and I finished outlining so I just have to finish writing it. Of course, I had another idea while I was writing it.  
  
Anyway, I'm trying to stick with the actual personalities of characters but to set things up, there may be a bit of OOCness here. As an added bonus, because this is AU I can build all the canon pairings relationships from scratch.  
  
Meaning tons of angst, fluffiness and the like. Sigh… well, here is goes. Read and review if you like it. If you want me to tell you when it's update, let me know too!  
  
* * *  
  
Prologue  
  
  
  
Kaoru Kamiya carefully balanced the tray of coffee and food as she made her way through the diner. The little pink uniform she was wearing swished as it brushed against the chairs. At least the skirt was done to her knees, she got enough catcalls from the diners here with it covering this much.  
  
"Okay," she said cheerfully, high ponytail bouncing as she did. "Here's two number fives, two cups of coffee and a slice of pie. Enjoy!"  
  
She turned around and let out a sigh, bringing the tray back to the counter and letting it drop there. Looking up, she saw Tae give her a half smile. Kaoru returned it, knowing it was the owner's fault that the three other waitresses hadn't shown up for work today. It was Kaoru's own doing that had kept them out this place today.  
  
She turned around and rested on the counter, looking through the glass door. She glanced at the clock, watching it slowly edge towards 9 o'clock. They were late. She frowned, thinking about how much she had wanted to be back home by 10. There she could take a bath, burn this dumb outfit and then call Megumi to go out and dance the…  
  
The glass door opened and three masked men walked in, two of them holding shotguns. One shot at the ceiling and everyone in the restaurant was on the floor, cowering under their tables.  
  
"Everyone stay down!" the lead gunman called out. "And no one will get hurt! Consider yourselves lucky to witness the twentieth robbery of the Black Fox Gang!" The two other gunmen let out a cheer.  
  
Kaoru stood up slowly, sniffling loudly. "Please don't hurt me," she cried standing up and walking towards the lead one. "Please, I don't want to die."  
  
"Hey girlie," he said looking her over, "just sit tight and…"  
  
Kaoru's foot lashed out and she connected with his wrist. The gun went up and Kaoru's hand snapped forward getting him the gut. She grabbed his wrist and pushed it back, breaking it and getting the gun. The man behind him barely had to react as the butt of the shotgun hit him in the temple of the head and sent him to the ground unconscious.  
  
The third guy bolted and Kaoru frowned, turning back to the fallen two men. "Can you…"  
  
The two undercover officers, have since left the order of two number fives on the table, had the two suspects on the ground. They nodded at her and Kaoru took off. She got outside, just time to see a van speeding off. Taking aim, she fired the shotgun but missed the wheel and only got pavement.  
  
She was about to head in and call for backup when she heard the motorcycle engine headed straight for her. With a small smile, she dropped the shotgun and caught the helmet as it arced in the air towards her. The cycle slowed down just enough for her to get on and grabbed onto the driver.  
  
The bit of his black hair poked out from the bottom of the helmet and his trench coat danced in the wind as he pushed the throttle of the bike all the way to the max.  
  
"What happened?" he asked.  
  
"There were three of them," Kaoru said with a frown. "The third one bolted and got into the escape van." She reached down and pulled the hem of her skirt up a bit, grabbing the gun strapped to her thigh. "Think you can catch them?"  
  
If the driver had been anyone other the Aoshi Shinomori, then they would have cracked at smile at the thought. There was no way a black 1995 Chevy Astro was going to out run his Yamaha YZF-R1. But this was Aoshi and he merely concentrated on the road, tipping the bike at a precarious angle as he took the corner.  
  
Shots ran out and Aoshi wavered, trying to avoid the bullets from the van. "Shoot out the tire!" he yelled back to Kaoru.  
  
"There are too many people," she yelled back. "Try to get him into a side street."  
  
The motorcycle's engine revved again and Aoshi brought the cycle to the right side of the van, out of reach of the passenger's gun range but edging towards the driver.  
  
"What are you doing?" Kaoru cried, as he approached the van's driver.  
  
"Getting them on a side street," he said coolly. Before Kaoru could say another word, he had shot forward to the driver's window and stuck his hand in the open window. Grabbing the wheel he turned it left, forcing the van into a side street.  
  
Kaoru squealed as Aoshi let go at the last second and let the van scream forward. As soon as the van was clear, he gunned the throttle again and continued the pursuit.  
  
"Don't DO that!" she yelled pounding him on the back.  
  
"Take the shot," he answered back.  
  
With a frown, she brought the gun up and tried to steady her hand as she took aim. A second later she fired and the van's tired exploded. The van swerved and finally ran off the road into a lamppost. The passenger side door opened and the masked felon took off.  
  
"Take the driver," Aoshi said, put down the motorcycle's kick stand and drawing the gun from his holster. He took off leaving Kaoru to walk around the side and pull the unconscious driver to the ground.  
  
Aoshi ran after the crook as he darted into an alleyway. The tall buildings loomed above him but Aoshi kept his eyes straight ahead. If his luck held out, the crook wouldn't see the subway station.  
  
Turning the corner, Aoshi found he was alone. He quickly jumped down the stairs of the station, he reached the bottom and then jumped over the turnstile, barely hearing the security officer call out to him. He could hear the train coming and if he wasn't fast enough, he would lose the suspect.  
  
"Freeze, Tokyo Police!" he said, raising his gun as he broke through the crowd. Most of the people dropped to the ground, letting Aoshi finally see that the train had already left the station.  
  
He turned and came face to face with the security officer from the turnstile. "Call ahead to the next station and tell them not to let anyone off the train." Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a radio and called into the HQ.  
  
* * *  
  
Kenshin Himura held the sword in the air, watching the blade waver slightly in the air. Tightening his muscles, he watched it slowly come to a stop and was perfectly still. He held it there for a moment in perfect silence before he heard the door lock click open. Swinging it around, he brought straight at the face of the intruder.  
  
Sanosuke Sagara let out a curse as he saw the blade pointed at him. Kenshin smiled a bit before letting the blade drop.  
  
"Sorry," he said softly.  
  
Sano cuffed him over the head. "How many time do I have to tell you! Don't point that thing at me!!"  
  
Kenshin nodded and gave Sano the once over. The man was completely covered in soot and his clothing was in tatters. "What happened to you?"  
  
"I was crawling through the subway," Sano said grimly. "The freaking cops caught us before we even ask for anything. First day on the job too."  
  
"How did you miss the police?"  
  
Sano frowned. "It was a chick undercover as a waitress. She took the first two of the guys out before I could even blink."  
  
"And you ran?"  
  
Sano glowered. "I would have stayed but she was holding a shotgun. Can't really attack someone when they have a twelve gauge pointed at you." Sano sighed. "So much for that job…" He paused and looked over at Kenshin.  
  
"No," Kenshin said suddenly.  
  
"Come on!" Sano cried. "I don't get you at all!"  
  
"Sano, I have explained this to you many times. My relationship with the Hiten yakuza is over."  
  
"But you could be leading part of it right now if you wanted!" Sano interjected. "And if you hadn't left…"  
  
"But I did leave," Kenshin said firmly. "And I not going back. You should be glad that you never had anything to do with them."  
  
Sano threw up his arms. "That's fine, really. I mean, we can just keep leaving in this cesspool that you call an apartment and eating canned beans while you stomp around trying to find… I don't even know what the hell you do all day!"  
  
Kenshin frowned. He looked around the one room studio he and Sano shared. It wasn't that bad. Sure, there was the occasional horde of rats and the constant rattling of the train as it passed by. And they barely had room to sleep, let alone relax to watch TV or even eat at a table but it was home. And it was the first home he had earned without killing anyone.  
  
Looking over at Sano, he shrugged and held up the classified section of the paper. There were several red circles on it. Sano grabbed it and shot Kenshin a look. "Piano mover?"  
  
"Sure," Kenshin replied.  
  
Sano looked at the shorter man. "That thing would flatten you if you tried to move it."  
  
"Well, you could always…"  
  
"Feh," Sano said tossing the paper behind. "Like I'd ever take an honest job." He walked over to the small bathroom. A moment, later, Kenshin heard the shower turn on.  
  
With a sigh, he bent forward and picked up the paper. Sano tried to play it tough, but Kenshin knew he wasn't as bad as he wanted to be. Ever since he had met him as a young punk trying to get into the Hiten yakuza, Kenshin knew he was cut out for that lifestyle. Sano never took a job where the gang was known to kill people and he never carried a gun.  
  
But the honest life eluded them both, no matter what they tried. Kenshin's string of odd jobs barely paid the rent on this place and it wasn't like he could hand a résumé to a company. If he used a fake name, they'd find out pretty quick. And if he used his real name, they'd probably arrest him on the spot.  
  
Well, maybe not right away. But somewhere, there was a police record with his name on it and his statute of limitation was still about five years from expiring. He had managed to elude capture for 10 years. He didn't want to mess it up now. Besides, these ten years living in squalor were as much of a penance as he could do for the crimes he committed. Twenty-seven drug dealers, five police informants, two politicians and one…  
  
One innocent. He frowned and tried to shake the image of her from his head. The way her black hair suddenly exploded when he fired the shot. The way she crumpled to the ground so quickly, before he could even move his hand from the trigger. The…  
  
"Hey!" Sano called out, standing in a towel. "Are you moping again?" Kenshin frowned at his friend. "Oh that's it! I've had a crappy night, there's no way I'm putting up with this now. Let's go get blasted and forget about this whole mess of a life."  
  
* * *  
  
"Come on, Megumi!! Dance with me!!"  
  
Kaoru raised her head above her hand and let her long black hair whip around as she shook her head. The strapless red top meant it hit her bare shoulder like a whip so she stopped after a moment. She stomped her sandaled foot, barely visible from beneath the long flared black pants.  
  
"Listen to me," Kaoru said, grabbing Megumi's arm from where she was seated. "I have spent the last three weeks undercover working as a waitress and living in a dingy apartment over a strip joint. I want to have fun and you are going to have fun with me!"  
  
Megumi's eyes flickered down to where Kaoru had gripped her arm. The green silk fabric was crumpled there and Megumi gently pulled her hand away, letting it rest on top of her black skirt.  
  
"Kaoru, I know you are excited but you have to understand, I just put in a full shift at the ER. I'm really not up for doing anything more than sleeping," Megumi said with a yawn.  
  
"You are so impossible!" Kaoru cried. "I don't know why I'm friends with you! All you ever do is mop around or work. I just want to have fun," she whined slightly.  
  
Megumi raised an eyebrow at her younger friend. "Really Kaoru, you sound just like a child."  
  
Kaoru's temper flared and she clenched her hand in a fist. "Megumi…"  
  
Megumi yawned. "Besides, why would a loud place like this. Really, this is such a crass place."  
  
Kaoru got angrier. "This happens to be the hottest place in Tokyo right now. Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to get us in here?"  
  
"Well, it was a wasted effort," Megumi said standing up. "I think I'll go home and watch some TV."  
  
"MEGUMI!" Kaoru cried, finally letting anger get the better of her. Megumi turned around and let out a cackle.  
  
"Oh, Kaoru, you are so easy to tease," Megumi said. "Come on, let's see why this place is so popular."  
  
Kaoru's anger broke into a smile. She should have expected that. She had known Megumi since they were in high school, though the raven-haired doctor had been a senior at the time and Kaoru, a measly freshman. It was an odd friendship at best but a truly developed and strong one. And Kaoru was glad to have one person in her life she could depend on.  
  
Well okay… there was Yahiko but he was only fifteen and still living with foster parents. Kaoru frowned remembering how unhappy he had sounded when she called. She knew that he wanted to move to Tokyo with her but there was no way she could pull that off spending half the year undercover as she did. Maybe… maybe this year, she could pass the detective test and get a more regular job.  
  
"Kaoru!" Megumi called out, waving her over into the middle of the dance crowd. "I'm only staying for one song!" And on cue, the song ended and Megumi smiled, heading off the floor.  
  
"No way," Kaoru said dragging her back with her.  
  
Across the bar, Kenshin sat stirring his drink absentmindedly while Sano proceeded to hit on the two girls sitting next to him. A second later, Kenshin heard a slap and the two girls quickly departed. He tried to hide his smile.  
  
"What!" Sano called out. "I was only saying…"  
  
"Sano," Kenshin pleaded. "Let's not get kicked out of here."  
  
Sano smiled. "Like that would happen. I know the bouncer here." Looking over he frowned at Kenshin's drink. "That iced tea better have some alcohol in it." Kenshin pulled out the stirrer and took the rest of the drink in one shot. Sano waited for a few moments for any sigh of intoxication to appear.  
  
"I should have known you'd wuss out," Sano said with a frown. "What's the point of coming to place like this if you aren't going to drink or pick up chicks?"  
  
"I don't know," Kenshin said softly. "Maybe to get deafened by the loud music."  
  
"That's it," Sano said gruffly, picking his friend up by the upper arm. He pushed him towards the dance floor. "Pick one, right now or I will pound you to a pulp in the middle of this bar."  
  
Kenshin tried to smile but Sano looked too serious to let up on this one. He sighed on looked out at the crowd. It was like they had all been replicated from the same source. They moved at the same rhythm, they wore almost identical clothes.  
  
Except for one girl. She stood out from the crowd. Her long black hair bouncing in the air. Her blue eyes glistening with laughter. And movements that could only be described as…  
  
"Is that girl having a seizure?" Sano asked, pointing at her.  
  
"I don't know…" Kenshin said. Then suddenly she stopped and started laughing, gripping her sides as she did. There was a taller woman next to her who looked somewhat amused but trying to look serious.  
  
"Well, at least her friend is hot," Sano said. He paused and looked at the smaller girl again. Nah, it couldn't be the same chick from this morning. "Let's move."  
  
Kaoru was trying to find words in her laughter and finally managed to gain control. She looked up at Megumi and saw the laughter she was trying to hide back.  
  
"If you don't start laughing, I'll do that again," Kaoru said, preparing to continue her dance routine. "And then everyone will stare at you and wonder why you are hanging out with such an insane person."  
  
"I think they're staring at you Kaoru as you are the only insane one here."  
  
Kaoru stuck out her tongue and that broke Megumi's cool. She started to laugh and then looked up, watching a tall man with spiky brown hair approaching her with a smile. Megumi raised an eyebrow and elbowed Kaoru.  
  
Kaoru looked over and saw him approaching with someone else, though all she could see was a tuff of red hair from behind Sano's massive form. She smiled, knowing exactly what Megumi was thinking.  
  
And then her heart stopped. From his right, Kaoru saw a blonde man headed for him, a red bandana around his wrist and something shiny in her hand. Kaoru tried to call out but the man reached Sano first.  
  
Sano felt someone push into him and looked down to yell at the guy. Which was the exact moment he felt the pain in his stomach. Grabbing it, he pulled his hand away and found it was covered with blood. "What the…" he managed to say before he pitched forward right at Megumi.  
  
Megumi watched in shock as he passed out in front of her. She barely had the strength to catch him and bring him to the ground. She felt the warn blood on her hands and everything in her mind clicked into place. Turning him over, she looked at the spreading pool of blood.  
  
"He's been shot!" she called out to Kaoru but the younger girl was already gone. She had pushed her way through the crowd and tackled the guy to the ground, pinning arm behind his head with one arm and holding his gun to his head in the other. Kaoru held onto the gun while she fished her cell phone to call for 911.  
  
In Kenshin's mind, it had happened in the blink of an eye. One moment he was thinking of exactly how he was going to get out of this, wondering if he even wanted to get out of it. The next Sano was on the ground bleeding.  
  
His heart was pounding in his ears, dampening out everything else. What happened? How did… how did he miss seeing someone hurt Sano? Had all the years in idleness so dampened his skills that he couldn't sense the presence of another killer? That he couldn't protect his only friend?  
  
The girl trying to help Sano was yelling at him. Suddenly, the noise rushed back into his head. The music had stopped, people were talking as they watched the scene and somewhere, someone was yelling for an ambulance.  
  
"I need your help to stop the bleeding!" Megumi screamed again. And this time it clicked in Kenshin's mind and he knelt down on the ground. Following Megumi's instructions, he used his shirt to press against the wound. He looked up and saw Kaoru, holding the guy down and yelling into her cell phone.  
  
"This is Officer Kamiya, requesting immediate assistance. I need an ambulance and officers down here now… It's a yakuza hit. The guy I have pinned is definitely a Juppongatana lackey… just one injury. There's a doctor on the scene…"  
  
The rest of her conversation faded. Kenshin looked down at his friend. Juppongatana… a rival yakuza to Hiten family.  
  
Which is when the last bit of violet faded from his eyes and was replaced by gold.  
  
TBC…. 


	2. Chapter 1

Author's note!  
  
Hello again! Wow… I guess the idea for this story was pretty good considering the outpouring of reviews for the first chapter. Well, it definitely inspired me to get the next chapter out quickly so here it is.  
  
Thanks to Messi, Mikazuki, Sophie6_13, Nimbus Rey, Arashi,Britzy, Linay, omochi for the complements!  
  
~le bleu phenix - don't worry, a lot more RK characters made an appearance today and the number will keep growing.  
  
Kamimura Kaoru – It's only my first A/U fic but thanks for the compliment!  
  
Angelbake - *sheepishly ducks her head* Typos?? Me??? No WAY! Okay, seriously, I'm not the best person to check over my work but I did run over this one a couple of times, not that that says much.  
  
Well, I hope you enjoy the next chapter! Leave a review if you feel so inclined! Thank you!!  
  
* * *  
  
Kaoru watched from behind the two-way mirror as the two uniformed officers put the suspect under intense interrogation. With a sigh, she turned to Aoshi and saw he was lost in thought. The door opened and an officer walked in, handing her a folder.  
  
"What does it say?" Aoshi said breaking his silence.  
  
"Sanosuke Sagara," she said reading the first page of the file. "He joined a vigilante group when he was younger but they were killed by a yakuza hit squad. Ran away from home, managed to rack up a few petty theft charges but… nothing that would warrant a hit from the Juppongatana."  
  
Aoshi's face didn't change. "Anyone with him that might have been the real target?"  
  
Kaoru frowned. "There was someone else but I didn't get a good look at him. I can ask Megumi if she saw anything."  
  
"It's probably a good idea," Aoshi said, turning back to the interview. Kaoru sighed, realizing that was all the conversation she was going to get out of the detective. Besides, she wanted to head to the hospital to check on Megumi and her patient.  
  
Aoshi heard the door close but didn't break his vigil. The two officers were yelling again but the suspect was not responding at all. He seemed pretty confident for someone who was just arrested for attempted murder with the weapon still in hand.  
  
A moment later, a suit entered the room and Aoshi stood up. Looks like his lawyer had shown up. Aoshi opened the door and walked out, almost getting run over by another officer.  
  
"Sorry sir," the officer said, "but I was just coming to get you. I have someone you probably want to meet." Aoshi fell into step with the officer and walked towards the front of the precinct.  
  
He saw her sitting on a chair, feet moving back and forth. She was wearing torn jeans, a tattered coat and a grimy shirt. Her outfit screamed homeless but for some reason, there was no sign of despair or defeat on her face. Her blue eyes sparkled as she turned to face him and the long braid bounced off her back as she stood up.  
  
"This is Detective Shinomori," the officer said motioning to Aoshi. "This is… ah…"  
  
"Makimachi Misao," she said with a bow and a smile.  
  
"Makimachi-san said she has some information about what happened at the club tonight," the officer said.  
  
"I have lots of information," Misao said with a smile. "But… I haven't had dinner so I can't really remember things so clearly…"  
  
Aoshi frowned and moved forward. "Let's go get some food then," he said walking towards the door, Misao following close behind.  
  
* * *  
  
Megumi carefully peeled off the gloves and tossed them in the bin. She stretched her back a bit before venturing outside the operating room where she found Kaoru waiting for her.  
  
"Hello Kaoru," she said, tiredly. "Thank you for the wonderful evening."  
  
Kaoru looked at her apologetically. "Sorry," she said. "I guess trouble follows me wherever I go." Megumi frowned and nodded. "So how's the patient?"  
  
Megumi sighed. "Fine, for someone who was just shot in the stomach at close range. He'll pull through.'  
  
Kaoru nodded. "Did the man who came with him stay?"  
  
Megumi shook her head. "As soon as one of the nurses told him that his friend would be okay, he bolted."  
  
"Do you remember what he looked like?" Kaoru asked. Megumi yawned. "I'm sorry, Megumi-chan. You must be very tired. Can I drive you home?"  
  
Megumi shook her head. "No point, I'll be back on shift in three hours. I'm just going to stay here and try to get some sleep." She paused for a moment. "Kaoru… there is one thing that puzzles me."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Well, I've seen a lot of people come through here after a Juppongatana hit but this one… it just doesn't feel right. Their assassins usually shoot a victim right in the heart, to make sure they killed him."  
  
Kaoru frowned. "Maybe because of the crowd…" But she trailed off. Looking back, it did seem a bit strange. An assassin should not have been so easy to catch. And the person shot was someone who had no obvious connection to Juppongatana or one of their enemies. "Megumi, do you have the bullet?"  
  
"It was taken away by an officer," she said, with another yawn.  
  
"All right," Kaoru said. "Why don't you go to sleep. We can talk tomorrow." Megumi nodded and walked off to the doctor's lounge. Looking over her shoulder, she made sure Kaoru was gone before she walked back towards ICU. Taking a seat next to the young man she had just save, Megumi stretched out and fell asleep on the chair.  
  
* * *  
  
Misao's eyes widened as soon as the waitress put down the large plate of food. Taking a deep breath, she promised herself she would not inhale the food in one breath. Besides, the guy standing across from her was really hot and she didn't want to look like an idiot. Slowly cutting the steak, she carefully chewed on it, trying to remember any manners that may have been taught to her before she had been tossed out on to the street. But at the first taste of the warm meat, those thoughts completely melted away and Misao went on a rampage.  
  
Aoshi watched her, drinking on his tea occasionally. Just as he thought, she was from the streets. Looking at her, he realized she couldn't be more than eighteen. What a waste, to be so young and already lost. But there was definitely something about her that made him think she hadn't given up.  
  
Misao looked up with an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, I guess I was hungrier than I thought." Her plate was pretty much cleared at this point so she started picking at the remains. "So detective… what's your first name?"  
  
Aoshi was taken off guard by the question. "Aoshi," he said briskly.  
  
"Nice name," she said with a smile. "So have you been a detective long?"  
  
"A couple of years."  
  
"Do you like it?"  
  
"You certainly ask a lot of questions."  
  
Misao smiled and reached for the soda. "Of course I do," she said. "Its how I survive and how I'm going to help you. You'd be surprised what people talk about when they don't think anyone can hear them."  
  
"So you do have some information about the Juppongatana hit that occurred tonight?"  
  
Misao wiped her mouth on the napkin. "How about the fact that it wasn't the Juppongatana?" Aoshi raised an eyebrow. "Come on, I thought you guys were the police! You really bought that it was them? Just 'cause the guy wore a red bandana and shot someone at close range with a gun?"  
  
Aoshi put the cup down. "And how did you come to the conclusion it wasn't them?"  
  
Misao looked right at him and held up her hand to tick off her reasons. "One, the bandana was on the wrong hand. Two, the gun didn't have a name engraved on it and the Juppongatana have an obsession with naming their weapons. Three, their target didn't die because the assassin didn't hit him in the right place. A real Juppongatana assassin would have shot him right in the heart to kill him. And four, the guy they shot is a no-name street punk. If they were after anyone, they would have tried to kill his friend but that's worth more then you can spend right now."  
  
Aoshi blinked. "How did you…"  
  
Misao looked down at her plate. "Like I said, people tend to talk when they don't see anyone around or if they think the people around them are just drunk trash. Oh," she said standing up and dropping the napkin on the table, "you might want to pull that bouncer from the Hiken club in Roppongi that's working for you. The club owners found out and are contracting a killer to take him out two days from now.  
  
"I'll stop by the precinct when I have more," she said with a smile. "Of course, it'll cost you another dinner. Ja!"  
  
And before Aoshi could say anything else, she walked out of the diner.  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, Kaoru pulled up to the station in her little white car. Looking over, she saw Aoshi's motorcycle already there. Workaholic, she though to herself as she turned off the engine. He probably never left.  
  
Walking into the office, she was greeted by some of her fellow officers. It had been three weeks since she went undercover and it was good to see some familiar and friendly faces. She barely managed to make it to the locker room when someone pulled her over and said that Aoshi was looking for her.  
  
With a sigh, she gave up on the thought of a morning cup of coffee and headed to his office. Walking inside, she found him sitting at his desk, looking over a file. He looked up at her, with just the slightest bit of emotion in his eyes. Kaoru stopped in her tracks.  
  
"Oh no," she said.  
  
"Kamiya, take a seat," he said.  
  
"No," Kaoru said folding her arms. "I know that look. It's the 'I'm about to send Kaoru on another mission' look."  
  
"We came across something…"  
  
"Just stop right there," Kaoru said getting angry. "There is no way I am going undercover again so soon! I was gone for three weeks, I deserve a break! I promised my brother I would take him to Disneyland!"  
  
"Kamiya," Aoshi said firmly. "Something very big is going on." Kaoru's anger faltered. "And obviously no one would be asking you to do this if there was another way." Kaoru sighed and sat down in the chair.  
  
"Upon further investigation," Aoshi said handing her a folder, "we have determined that the hit last night was not from the Juppongatana but from someone trying to set them up to take the blame."  
  
"Who would do that?" she said leafing through the report.  
  
"The Hiken," he said. "At least that's the only connection we can make between the assassin in custody and anyone else."  
  
"But to do this," Kaoru said softly, "to cast the blame on the Juppongatana would enrage them and…" She stopped talking.  
  
"A full blown war between the two largest yakuza in Tokyo," he said with a nod. "We're keeping this entire matter very quiet. Our official word is that the attempted murder is still under investigation and that there are no suspects."  
  
"Okay," she said, "but where do I fit in?"  
  
"We need to know why the Hiken are moving now. The two groups have been in balance for a while now but someone decided it was time to should end up on top."  
  
He threw another folder at her. "There's a job opening for a bartender at one of the Hiken clubs, the Cho. A lot of the higher ranking members of Hiken go there from time to time."  
  
"So you want me to watch for them and report back anything I see or hear?" Kaoru asked. Aoshi nodded. "And the stylists are already here right? The new apartment's already been set up? I mean, I really don't have a say in this."  
  
Aoshi frowned, the first sign of real emotion she had seen from him in a while. "I'm sorry Kamiya."  
  
Kaoru sighed. "All right, then I better be going. Yahiko is never going to forgive me for not taking him to see Disneyland so you better believe I'm getting a large bonus for this."  
  
* * *  
  
The Cho was in the loudest part of Tokyo, in the heart of Roppongi. Though right now, early in the afternoon, it was almost quiet. The red Mazda Miata pulled up to the side street next to the club and the window rolled down. The guard looked inside at the car and his eyes widened. Quickly, he opened the gate and let the driver through.  
  
Inside the club, a couple of men were examining several drinks. They heard the back door open and turned to see who was approaching.  
  
"Well either this drink is stronger than I thought or hell just froze over," one of them said.  
  
The man didn't pay them any attention but rather kept walking straight, the black fabric of his pants not making a sound as his did. His long red hair was tied back low on his back, moving slightly against the black turtleneck.  
  
"Look at that, Himura Battousai has decided to grace us with his presence." Another said. "But I'm not sure he's welcome here."  
  
The third stood up with a smile. "Of course he is. Himura-san, we've been expecting you."  
  
"Soujirou," Kenshin said, watching the smiling young man make his way towards him.  
  
"It is good to see you again," Seta said with a smile. "I'll go get him."  
  
Kenshin shot a look over at the two men, wondering if they were actually going to be stupid enough to act on their threat now that Seta was gone. But they just glared at him in silence.  
  
"Battousai."  
  
Kenshin looked up and saw the tall man walking down the staircase. He frowned. "That's not my name anymore," Kenshin said firmly.  
  
"Really?" the man replied. "Then why are you here? What possible interest could the Hiken yakuza have in you? The last time I checked, we were not interested in hiring piano movers." The two men laughed but Kenshin did not look amused.  
  
"That is what you are here for correct? A job? Your friend is dying in a hospital and you don't have the money to pay his bills. Well, if you've come to ask for a loan…"  
  
"I'm not here for a loan," Kenshin said firmly.  
  
"Well, there is a bartending position open," the man said. "And from what I've heard, no one has met the requirements yet. But that's not what you are, Battousai. And I have no use for you unless you have decided to return to your former career  
  
Kenshin frowned. He knew it was a mistake to come back but it was the only thing he could think of. He needed money fast. The doctor had said she would shuffle the paperwork for a bit until he could get it but that wasn't going to last long.  
  
"I have an idea!" Seta said. "One of our bouncers just quit rather suddenly," he smiled. "Maybe Himura-san could take his place here." There was silence and Seta leaned over to talk into his boss's ear so Kenshin couldn't hear. "It'll give us a chance to bring back the fighter in him and in a few weeks, we'll have our assassin back, Saitou Hajime-san."  
  
Saitou paused and considered Seta's request. With an aggravated nod, Saitou walked away, heading back to his office on the top floor. Seta turned to Himura and smiled. "Is that acceptable?"  
  
Kenshin let out a breath of relief. "That will be fine."  
  
"Excuse me?" The men in the room turned towards the feminine voice. "But is this where I can apply for the bartending job."  
  
The men looked up as Kaoru started down the stairs. The heels of her sandals made soft clicks as they stepped on the metal stairs, the long black flare brushing against the exposed part of her foot. A metallic jingle came from waist as the metal chain around it hit the button of her low ride pants.  
  
The shirt was of course the clincher, picked out by some sadistic police wardrobist who thought it would fit the theme of the bar. The large jeweled butterfly's wings were fully expanded, covering all the essential parts of her chest but leaving a lot of skin exposed. Most of it on her back, actually, which only had a crisscross of laces to cover it and hold the thing in place.  
  
Her hair had been highlighted so that blonde was mixed in with the natural black (which was apparently the fashion). Her eyes had been tinted green, a color she was assured was completely exotic and desirable. The dark makeup around them made them really stand out as she cast a glance over at the assembled men.  
  
As her feet hit the ground, Kaoru held back a smile. It wasn't the happy sort of smile. It was more the I'm-going-to-kill-Aoshi type of smile. Still at least it was working, except on the redhead.  
  
"Ah…" one of the men at the bar said.  
  
"Bartending job," she said, pronouncing the syllables slowly. "Is this…"  
  
"Yes it is," Seta said suddenly bounding up to her with a smile. "Are you here to apply?"  
  
The smile unnerved her but Kaoru pushed it back, letting the fabricated persona that had been created for her come into full effect. "Yes, Matsuda Hana," she said holding out a résumé.  
  
Seta took it and glanced it over. "It looks good, Matsuda Hana-san, " he said. "Why not try mixing a few drinks?"  
  
Kaoru nodded and tossed her purse in front of Kenshin. He looked up at her with unreadable violet eyes and Kaoru just walked to the back of the bar. Idiot, she thought to herself, stop trying so hard. Remember you are Matsuda Hana, cool as ice professional bartender.  
  
Kenshin watched the scene with a mix of emotions. He recognized the girl instantly as the same cop who had helped him in the bar last night. But he was torn. On the one hand, he knew she was working for the police and he should turn her in right now. On the other hand, she had helped Sano last night and caught the guy who did it. And finally, there was Saitou… who Kenshin would really mind seeing annoyed by the authorities.  
  
"Anything special?" Kaoru asked taking a place behind the bar and looking over their stock. Her mind raced, trying to bring back all the things they taught her at the bartending course.  
  
"Just impress us," Seta said with a smile.  
  
Kaoru nodded. She was going to show them what the taxpayers dollars had bought last year. She grabbed a bottle and spun it in her hand while she grabbed a glass in the other. She poured the drink, added the soda and a cherry in five seconds flat and shot it down the bar to Seta.  
  
He smiled as he picked it up. Examining it he handed it over to one of the two men at the bar. He took a sip and nodded. "That's really good," the man said, finishing it off.  
  
"Good!" Seta said, looking over at Kaoru. "I like the bottle spinning," he said.  
  
"This?" Kaoru said grabbing the bottle and spinning it in her hand again. When she had enough momentum, she let spin on her fingertip before throwing it up in the air catching it behind her back. Oh yeah, Tom Cruise in Cocktail had nothing on her.  
  
Seta smiled. He looked over at Kenshin and saw the former assassin staring intently at the girl. "She's good, right?" he asked him.  
  
Kenshin blinked and looked over at Seta with a shrug. "She's okay."  
  
Kaoru's temper flared a bit. Okay? Did he say she was just 'okay'? Bastard! She was decked out in at least thirty thousand yen worth of clothing and hair styling, showing them her most impressive bartending skills and it was just… okay???  
  
"Don't mind him," Seta said, stretching out a hand with a smile. "Congratulations, you can start tonight."  
  
Kaoru shook it firmly. "Great," she said picking up her purse. "See you all tonight then. Ja!" She left much the same way she had come.  
  
Seta smiled and looked over at the two men who were still enraptured. He looked over to Kenshin and walked over to him. "Himura-san?" he asked.  
  
"What?" Kenshin said looking away from the door.  
  
"Please do us a favor," Seta smiled. "Follow her and make sure she doesn't go anywhere she shouldn't. Good help is so hard to find these days and I'd hate a repeat of what happened with the man who previous held your job to occur."  
  
* * *  
  
Kaoru walked down the street and refrained from pulling off the shoes right then and there. Oh, she was going to get Aoshi and then she would hunt down the people who decided her wardrobe would be like this. And then she would happily teach them why you do not toy with a master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu.  
  
She stopped in the middle of the street and smiled. It had been a while since she thought back to that. Her father had taught it to her when she was younger. Despite the fact that swords were rarely used in modern day Tokyo, he told her it was to improve her character as well.  
  
And then he had really been surprised when she announced her attentions to join the police like he did! All those years of the Sword the Protects made it nearly impossible for her to choose any other career but that. Besides, she had always looked up to him and wanted more than anything to be just like him.  
  
She could only that he would have been proud.  
  
With a sad little sigh, she reached into her purse and pulled out a stick of gum. She unwrapped it and popped it her mouth. Walking past a trashcan she tossed the wrapper in and continued on her way.  
  
From several steps behind her, Kenshin watched. He waited for several minutes until someone else came up to the trash can. The man threw up his paper and then went back for it, riffling through the trash as if he hadn't wanted to throw it all away.  
  
As soon as he was gone, Kenshin walked over to the can and pulled out the paper. He looked and realized the gum wrapper was gone. He had been right. This was her drop off point and that man had just come to collect the message.  
  
* * *  
  
Later that night, Kaoru found out exactly how popular The Cho was. The moment the doors opened at 11, the place was packed. She hadn't stopped mixing drinks since then either. She had to keep up the pace, knowing that a real bartender wouldn't slow down. So the bottles kept spinning, the drinks kept being poured and Kaoru's tip jar was overflowing. Maybe she could use the money to buy a Playstation2 for Yahiko to make up for Disneyland.  
  
"Hello, Matsuda Hana-san!"  
  
It took Kaoru a millisecond to realize the person was talking to her. "Soujirou-san," she said looking at the young man.  
  
"It's going well, I see," he said, pointing to the jar. Kaoru nodded. "Very good. Ah… wait a minute," he said reaching behind him into the crowd and pulling someone forward. "Matsuda Hana-san, I want you to meet Yukishiro Enishi."  
  
The man looked away from whomever he had been talking with to stare at Kaoru. White hair, sunglasses worn inside. Kaoru's heart stopped as she recognized who it was. The top assassin of the Hiken yakuza. The man was legendary in the department.  
  
"Hello," he said with a smile, looking her over.  
  
"Hi," she said with a detached coolness that took every ounce of her acting training to do.  
  
"Excuse me," Seta said, "but I'm on my way upstairs." He disappeared and Kaoru found herself alone with the killer.  
  
"I heard that they had hired a new bartender," he said, reaching out his hand. "But their descriptions didn't do you justice." His finger brushed against her cheek and Kaoru fought back the urge to hit him very hard.  
  
Suddenly, Enishi's hand was pinned to bar. Looking up, Kaoru saw the red haired man from before. Enishi's eyes flashed angrily as he looked up at the man who had grabbed him.  
  
"So they were telling the truth," Enishi said, a small smile playing on his lips. "You have come back to us. But as a bouncer right?" The smile faded. "So what right do you have to touch me?"  
  
"Just back off," Kenshin said, eyes flashing an angry amber as he placed himself in front of Kaoru.  
  
Enishi stopped and looked behind him at Kaoru with a smile. "Ah, I see… well," he said leaning forward to talk into Kenshin's ear. "Tell me when you're done with her. I always enjoying the things you hand down to me."  
  
Kenshin let go of his arm and pushed him away, back into the crowd. He frowned at what Enishi had said. The man was everything Kenshin had heard he was. Egotistical, cold, and not afraid of anything. If being the Battousai still mattered to him, Kenshin might have been annoyed at the way some people said that Enishi was the better killer.  
  
"Ano…" Kenshin turned around and saw Kaoru looking at him. "Thank you," she said, trying to maintain her composure.  
  
Kenshin's eyes blinked and flickered back to violet. "It's nothing, Hana- dono. I'm supposed to make sure no one bothers the bartenders," he said with a smile.  
  
She hadn't seen him smile before and instinctively she smiled back. "Wait, let me make you something to drink as repayment," she said, quickly whipping out a couple of bottles.  
  
"Ah…" Kenshin started but a drink suddenly appeared in front of him, a swirl of orange and yellow, with a little umbrella on  
  
"One Tokyo Sunrise," Kaoru said pushing it towards him. Leaning forward to him, she whispered, "And don't worry, no alcohol. Wouldn't want you to get in trouble," she said with a small smile. She pulled back quickly and slipped back into the Hana persona as she walked down the bar to get someone else's order.  
  
Watching her disappear, Kenshin picked up the drink and took a sip. True to her word, it was just fruit juice. He watched her race around and fill orders, with the same coolness she had from before. But those brief moments when she smiled, he got a glimpse at the real person, not Matsuda Hana but whoever this young officer really was. Maybe he'd keep her secret for just a little while longer… 


	3. Chapter 2

Author's note:  
  
I'm typing this with my little kitten, Ryoga, watching me. Which means I have to do this quick before he decided that my fingers on the keyboard are his new toy.  
  
A few quick notes about the chapter. Kaoru wears a shirt with the words "I Am Cute" on it. This isn't just made up for the story but a small plug for the absolutely magnificent online manga MegaTokyo (www.megatokyo.com). This little comic is beautifully drawn and wonderfully written! Stop by if you have a moment, you can read all the back comics on the site. And give poor Piro some words of encouragement… I think the poor guy is completely overworked (I don't know how he does it…)  
  
Secondly, Junichi Inamoto is a real person. Anyone who saw the match against Russia today would understand why he would be so popular in Japan. I swear, I thought they were going to tear down the stadium at the end of that match!!  
  
Now… to dole out much deserved thanks ^_^  
  
Susan – Hmmm… good question. Was Sano the target?? I guess you'll have to wait and see.  
  
Oryo – Thanks for pointing out the Hiken/Hiten mistake. I did that in other story and spent the first too chapters calling the Rogues, the Rouges ^_^  
  
dementedChris… I can't believe I got a review from you! I've read like most of your stories. Thanks for the review!!  
  
SAGE – Saitou as the Yakuza boss… well, maybe. Or maybe there is someone else above him…  
  
And thanks to the rest, Colleen, britzy, le bleu phoenix, darkangelwings, omochi, Mikazuki, and Shini no Miko (typos?? ORO??)!  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go explain to my kitten why it is not polite to crawl on someone's back and then attack their hair.  
  
* * *  
  
"Prominent politicians Mitsu Goichi from the National Industrial Research Institute of Nagoya and Takahashi Rosanjin from the Communications Research Laboratory were found murdered in their hotel room last night."  
  
Kaoru stopped moving and plopped on the bed, long black hair dripping water on her bare shoulders before being caught in the fluffy blue towel. She watched the news man deliver the story with little emotion, wondering how difficult it must be. Neither politician was very prominent but two assassinations in one night… Kaoru was almost glad she was undercover. Aoshi would be swamped.  
  
"The men were here on a scientific conference to discuss recent developments in communications technology. Each man was found shot in the head. The shot appears to have come from point blank range, a classic style of the Hiten yakuza assassins. Police have hesitated to assign blame to a group, a move which surprises many people. The Prime Minister has promised a quick resolution to this and declared a national day of mourning for the…"  
  
Kaoru flipped the TV off. What a way to start the morning! She threw on a sweat shirt and pants and opened her door, reaching down to get her paper. The moment she picked it up, she realized that it wasn't delivered by the normal paper boy. Bringing it inside, she dropped it on the table while she went to make some coffee.  
  
A few minutes later, she sat at her kitchen table, the paper in on hand and her coffee in the other. She peeled each section open, carefully pulling out the police reports and photographs hidden between each page.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, the paper was discarded at her feet and Kaoru was examining the grizzly crime scene photographs. It was just as the newsman had said, both men were shot in the head. But there was something else, something the news report had left out. There were three kanji symbols written in the wall in blood.  
  
Aku. Soku. Zan.  
  
* * *  
  
"So, are you married?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Single."  
  
"…yes."  
  
"Happy?"  
  
Aoshi blinked. "What?"  
  
Misao smiled, carefully cutting the last bit of meat and putting it in her mouth. "What?" she asked back. "It's a simple question. Are you happy?"  
  
"Why would you ask that?"  
  
"Because you never smile," she replied. "You never want to talk about anything that's not work related unless I ask." Aoshi was silent. "Fine," Misao said, removing her napkin and putting it down.  
  
"Aku Soku Zan," she said. "Slay Sin Swiftly. It was written on the walls of their rooms in their blood and you have no idea what it means." Aoshi was silent. He was learning that asking her where she got her information from was useless so he settled with a nod.  
  
"It's an old saying," she said softly. "Do you remember the Shinsengumi?"  
  
Aoshi paused. "It was an old yakuza group but… they were dismantled about ten years ago."  
  
Misao tilted her head back and forth. "Not really dismantled. The Juppongatana was on the rise back then and some of the smaller Yakuza were being absorbed into the group. Shinsengumi and Jupoongatana bosses met once but no agreement could be reached. The Shinsengumi have this… weird code of conduct and it didn't mesh with the Juppongatana. So they made a deal with the Hiten Yakuza and most of the members transferred membership to them."  
  
"So what about…"  
  
"Aku Soku Zan? Like I said the Shinsengumi had a weird code of conduct and that was it. They were slowly worming their way into politics because they wanted to change the government from the inside out. The Juppongatana just wanted to rule the country by destroying everyone. That's where they clashed.  
  
"I can tell you this… if this was a hit by the Hiten assassin, then those two politicians had their fingers in the cookie jar, if you know what I mean. I'd tell you what they were into, but then there'd be nothing left for you to do. Ja!" she said standing up and walking out.  
  
Aoshi frowned, watching her go. This information was too in depth. No way someone just could learn it on the streets. He waited a few beats longer before standing up and going after her.  
  
* * *  
  
Kaoru walked into the bar having changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with the words 'I Am Cute' on it, large ponytail bouncing from the top of her head. It was only early afternoon but Kaoru had to come in early to make a list of supplies she would need for the bar.  
  
The place was completely different during the day and Kaoru liked it better this way. No blaring music. No drunken men trying to hit on her. It was peaceful. Well, except for the two young boys sweeping the floor. At least, they were supposed to be doing that. But the broom heads were lying on the ground and the boys were more interested in waving the sticks like swords.  
  
"Hey!" Kaoru smiled, scaring them out of their play.  
  
"Sorry Ms. Matsuda! We'll get back to work. " One of them said, reaching down for the broom head.  
  
"Iie," Kaoru said keeping a firm face. "I was just going to say… you're holding your sword wrong."  
  
Walking over, she took the stick from one of the boys and held it like she would hold a bokken. It was a bit bigger than a wooden sword but she turned around and brought it down in a head strike.  
  
"See?" she said. The two boys nodded. For some odd reason, she felt like telling them to do five hundred head strikes in a row. But before she could, the boys' attention had turn away.  
  
"Himura-san!" one of them called. "Ms. Matsuda knows how to do kendo too!!"  
  
"But you're better than her!"  
  
"No he's not!"  
  
"Is too!"  
  
"Is not!"  
  
"Maa maa," Kenshin said with a smile, splitting the two boys. "There's no reason to fight…"  
  
"Show him Himura-san! Fight Ms. Matsuda and prove your better."  
  
"Ms. Matsuda, you show him he's wrong!!"  
  
Kaoru looked a bit uncomfortable with the thought of fighting someone else but she had an idea. She walked up to him and handed him the stick. "Himura-san, do you know Ipponme?" she whispered. He smiled and nodded.  
  
They took their positions and executed the kata, a pre-determined series of steps that simulated a real fight. It was never used in real battles but rather used to teach students concentration and strength. As soon as they were done, Kaoru nodded and moved on to the next kata.  
  
By the time they reached the third, the two little boys were enthralled. But there was never a winner in these katas so they would probably be disappointed in the end. So Kenshin let his guard down a bit to let Kaoru's stick hit him on the arm. It was a little harder that he had expected though.  
  
"Eek!" Kaoru said, dropping her stick and grabbing his arm in concern. "I'm so sorry! I should have stopped when I…"  
  
"Maa maa, Hana-dono. It's not a..."  
  
"Look, it's bruising, "she said miserably.  
  
"It's…"  
  
"I'm so sorry!"  
  
Kenshin smiled to himself. It was worth the slight bruise to watch her fret so. This was the real her again, emerging from beneath her cover, face alive with emotions and worry.  
  
"Wow! She got him good!" one of the boys said.  
  
"Feh, lucky shot."  
  
Kaoru stood up and realized she was acting like Kaoru and not Hana. "Well, I'm sure it'll heal," she said, cooling up again.  
  
"Himura-san, you're out of practice," the happy voice filtered through the air. Seta came down the stairs with a smile on his face. "Maybe we should give Matsuda Hana-san your job."  
  
Kaoru gave the stick back to the boy. "Thank you, my job is good enough." She walked over to the bar, pulled out a memo pad and started to make a list of supplies. Seta smiled.  
  
"Make sure to get enough, tonight is going to be very busy," Seta said watching her write things down. "That's quite a list. Himura-san, why don't you drive her to…"  
  
"It's all right," Kaoru said quickly. "I can do it myself."  
  
"Don't worry," Seta said. "I've seen you walk here every day. Himura-san has a nice car. He can drive you," he finished in such a way that made it clear there would be no argument.  
  
* * *  
  
Aoshi watch Misao turn down the street. She had traveled into the heart of Shinjunku, weaving through the streets filled with electronic stores and arcades. She could move fast but there was no way he was going to lose her.  
  
Misao smiled and quickly ducked into an arcade, making sure that Aoshi had seen her. Poor guy, he just didn't know what he was up against. She ignored the glances people threw at her and the occasional greeting as she slowly pulled off her jacket.  
  
Aoshi came in a few seconds later, looking at the sea of young kids. Misao was short so blending into the crowd was going to be easy for her. But Aoshi was tall and he could look over all of them to search for her.  
  
After a minute of searching, he saw her in front of a game, actually that ridiculous dancing one. He never understood what the appeal of the game was but Misao seemed to be enjoying it. She was jumping up and down, purple hair bouncing as she did.  
  
Purple… that wasn't Misao's hair color.  
  
Running up, he grabbed the girl by the shoulder and whipped her around. The girl smiled at him, definitely not Misao just wearing her coat. Looking down, he saw a paper taped to the guard rail around the game.  
  
~ Too slow! MM7 ^_^ ~  
  
MM7? Looking up, he saw the high scores flash on the game. In all twenty spots were MM7.  
  
MM… Makimachi Misao, of course. She had outwitted him at the last second. No… she had known he was there the entire time and she had led him here to show him that not only did she own this game, but she was going to be in complete control of their relationship.  
  
And the thought made him smile, just a smidgen. The only question was, what did the seven mean?  
  
* * *  
  
Kaoru let the wind tussle her hair as the red Miata moved through the streets of Tokyo. She watched the skyscrapers roll by as they cruised down the highway at such a speed that she found herself squinting as the air pushed against her eyes. Looking down in her lap, she saw all of the items had been crossed off.  
  
"Sorry about that!" she yelled over to Kenshin.  
  
He shifted the gears back down, letting the engine rev down. "About what?" he asked looking over. His red hair was being even less cooperative than hers. Half of it was tied back but the parts that weren't seemed determined to whip themselves into tiny knots.  
  
"For driving half way across Tokyo to look for that bottle of Ouzo!"  
  
Kenshin smiled. He hadn't minded it a bit, spending a majority of the afternoon with her. She tried to be all business but there were moments that he saw her smile and that had been well worth the time.  
  
"It's all right, Hana-dono, it's my…"  
  
He trailed off, looking in the rear few mirror. Looking up, he adjusted the mirror in front of him and frowned.  
  
"What's wrong?" Kaoru asked, watching his expression changed.  
  
Kenshin shook his head. "Nothing, I hope." He shifted up to a higher gear and passed a few people before entering the fast lane. Looking back, Kaoru saw what was wrong. Three motorcycles followed his pattern, speeding up as they tried to catch him.  
  
"Who are they!" she cried  
  
Kenshin looked again. "Juppongatana," he said, seeing the kanji symbols on their bikes. What was it with their obsession in naming everything?  
  
"What do they want?"  
  
They had probably seen him leave the Cho and thought he was a member of the Hiten yakuza. Great, just great, he thought shifting in to gears and speeding up again. This was all he needed.  
  
The Miata shot forward, followed by the three motorcycles. His eyes squinted in anger. Kenshin weaved quickly between two cars and shot out ahead as the bikes tried to copy the maneuver. He watched the barrier whiz by on the right, so close that he could almost touch it.  
  
"Hana-dono, hold on," he said, pushing the accelerator to the ground. The bikes tried to match speed but he suddenly threw the gears into reverse. The car screamed in protest as he whipped the wheel around, rubber burning against the asphalt as he spun and slipped in between a break in the barrier.  
  
Karou's finger nail had made permanent indentations in leather seats. "ARE YOU INSANE!" she screamed.  
  
"It's all right," he said emotionless. "There are always breaks in the barrier for police cars. You just need to know where they are." Looking in his rear view, he saw just empty road behind him. "I think we…"  
  
"LOOK OUT!" Kaoru cried suddenly ducking in her seat, pulling him down with her. Kenshin felt his head hit his lap, feeling the bullet take off a few strands of hair. When he looked up, he saw the motorcycles were still across the barrier, just moving against traffic. Cars were spinning out of control as they tried to avoid the bikes.  
  
Kenshin frowned. If this kept out, a lot of innocent people were going to get hurt. "Hana-dono," he said, taking off his seatbelt and unlatching the roof, letting the wind pull it back into the storage compartment. "Take the wheel!"  
  
"NANI!" she said, watching him stand up. She threw off her seat belt and dove for the driver seat just as he stepped over her. The car sputtered a bit as the accelerator was let go. She didn't have her hands on the wheel when her foot hit the gas, so the car swerved a bit before she regained control.  
  
Kenshin almost toppled backwards out of the car. The gun shot from one of the motorcycles didn't help, slicing through his shirt and barely missing his arm. He knelt down, one knee on the seat as he tried to steady himself.  
  
"Sorry!" she cried.  
  
"Just hold it steady!" he said, kicking the glove compartment open. A silver gun tumbled out and he grabbed it quickly. The weight in his hand made him frown. It had been years since he had picked up a weapon like this. He could already feel the memories of his last mission flooding…  
  
His legs hit the seat as Kaoru switched gears and sped up again. Looking over, he saw the young woman staring down the road with intensity. He couldn't let his memories bother him now, not with her in this much danger.  
  
Just hit the wheels, he told himself. They're wearing helmets, they should be fine. He aimed and fired off the first shot. One of the motorcycles wheels exploded and the bike slide to the ground, spinning before it hit the barrier.  
  
As they sped past, Kenshin could see the driver moving a bit as he tried to stand up. So… this would work. He just needed to take out the next two. Bringing up his gun, he aimed and pulled the trigger.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Kenshin tried again but the only shots that came out were from the motorcycles. What the… no! He only had one bullet in his gun. It was that stupid idea of his that if he ever shot a weapon, he might revert back to his assassin state. So by keeping only one bullet in it, he would stop himself from…  
  
"Kenshin what's wrong!"  
  
If it had been in any other situation, he might have been happy to hear her call him by his first name. But he had just managed to screw them both with his fear of the past.  
  
"The gun…" he started.  
  
"Shit!" Kaoru cried watching the bike suddenly weave through a break in the barrier behind them. They split and began to speed up, determined to catch the Miata and sandwich it.  
  
"Let me drive!" Kenshin said, realizing what was about to happen.  
  
Kaoru gripped the wheel. "Just put on your seat belt," she said softly, before shifting into the final gear. Kenshin didn't even bother to protest, there was a determination in her eyes that he had only seen when she tackled the assassin that shot Sano.  
  
Kaoru watched in the rear view mirror as the bikes sped up. Speed was not going to be enough to beat these guys. She needed something else… something…  
  
There it was! Someone up there was looking out for her. She'd need to time this right… man, if her academy driving instructor could see her now, he probably have a heart attack. "Okay, I have an idea," she said.  
  
Kenshin looked ahead. There was nothing but one of those dual-story car transport truck. It was empty but the ramp the lead up to the second level was tied up. "Oh no… you're not going to…"  
  
"Come little Miata, don't fail me now," Kaoru said, pressing the accelerator as far as it would go.  
  
"This is NOT a good ID…"  
  
He never got to finish his thought. The car transport was ahead of them and Kaoru was tailing it fast. She hit its back bumper and the truck spun a bit, the upper level ramp shook. She hit it again and the ropes holding the ramp shifted free. She hit the brakes letting the ramp crash to the ground, sending sparks up in the road.  
  
The motorcycles closed in fast, hitting the back of the car to try to prevent her from what she was about to do.  
  
"HANG ON!" Kaoru cried, flooring it again and riding up the ramp and onto the second level of the truck. Now to just continue and fly over the top of the truck to land on the thruway…  
  
"The road!" Kenshin cried.  
  
"Oh…" The expletive never got to leave Kaoru's lips. The thruway curved ahead of them but the momentum was sending them straight. The car flew off the top of the truck and then over the barrier of the overpass. They were going to crash… they were going…  
  
The Miata hit the road below, sending sparks in the air as the bumper hit asphalt. It flipped forward and the two occupants could only watch the pavement then sky spin above them. The car's rear wheels hit first and by shear luck the spin continue, letting the front wheels hit the pavement. Kaoru slammed on the brakes and the spinning tires caught road, grinding themselves into dust and causing the car to spin three times full circle.  
  
And then it stopped. Kaoru blinked. Kenshin carefully unlatched his fingers from the seat. They both sat in silence, hearing the motorcycles fly by on the highway above them. Kenshin and Kaoru both very slowly undid their seatbelt, pushing away the deployed airbags, and opened the car doors. Feet on the floor, Kenshin found the even his steel hard resolve was as shaky as his knees.  
  
Kaoru walked around the side of the car, still not believing they were alive. When she reached the back, she saw the trunk had popped open. Pushing it up, she looked inside. Suddenly she started to laugh.  
  
Deciding that she had lost it, Kenshin made his way to where she was, following her hand as it pointed to the trunk. He saw the mess inside, most of the bottles were completely destroy but in the center of it all, was one completely intact bottle of Greek Ouzo.  
  
* * *  
  
Megumi sighed as she walked out of the ICU. Sano should have been awake by now but the stubborn idiot was just going to sit there and sleep and make her worry.  
  
She wasn't looking where she was going and managed to run into a brick wall more commonly known as Shinomori Aoshi. He looked at her with a frown, seeing the dark circles around her eyes.  
  
"You are not sleeping enough," he said firmly.  
  
"Please, not you too. I get it enough from Kaoru." Megumi paused. "That's why you're here, isn't it?" Megumi's stern face broke in worry. "She's okay, right?"  
  
Aoshi nodded. "Sorry, I should have told you sooner. We have her out on another mission. You'll need to explain it to her brother."  
  
"Wasn't she just gone for three weeks? Don't you people every give her a break?"  
  
"I am sorry Dr. Takani," he said with a bow. "It was unavoidable."  
  
Megumi sighed. "It always is. I really wish you people would stop putting her in so much danger. Hasn't she earned the detective title yet?"  
  
Aoshi nodded. "If I have anything to say about it, this will be her last mission. I owe her father more than I could ever repay but I'm going to make sure that she gets out of the line of fire."  
  
Megumi paused and smiled a bit. "I forgot Kaoru's father was your first partner." There was silence as Megumi left the last part unsaid. Aoshi was his last partner was well.  
  
"Will you apologize to Yahiko for me," Aoshi said. "Tell him, Disneyland will be on me when Kaoru gets back."  
  
"Of course," Megumi said, watching him walk away.  
  
* * *  
  
Somewhere around 2am, Kaoru found herself on the dance floor, drink in hand. The second shift had come in and she had the rest of the evening off. Rather than go home, Kaoru was determine to let loose. Maybe almost ending up as street pizza did that to a person. Of course, the drink was another Tokyo Sunrise, pure juice in a pretty swirl. Kaoru was ready for fun but she wasn't stupid enough to do anything to blow her cover.  
  
She waded through the dance floor, smiling at the intense crowd. Seta hadn't been kidding when he said there was going to be a large crowd. Of course, the minute it had gotten out that Junichi Inamoto, one of the best players from the Japanese World Cup team, was going to stop by, half of the Tokyo population had turned up.  
  
Kaoru had seen Kenshin a couple of times but he looked impossibly busy. She still felt bad about what happened. The Miata was totaled after her little driving trip.  
  
She reached one of the tables on the fringe of the floor and put her drink down, letting out a sigh. She sat on the stool and let her feet rest, cursing the fact that all she had were these high heeled things. She pulled at the hem of silver-blue dress, which was just a tad too short for her. Not that that was the worse part. She felt herself constantly pulling the thin straps of the top over her shoulder as they kept slipping off.  
  
"Tired already, Hana-dono?"  
  
Turning around, she saw she had a guest at the table. "I thought you'd be busy all evening," she said.  
  
Kenshin shrugged. "The soccer player left and most of the people are getting ready to follow him."  
  
"Then… you're done for the evening too?" she asked.  
  
"Almost. Why?"  
  
Kaoru sighed, forcing herself to remain cool. "Well, I thought you might want to burn off some steam too, almost being squished in the pavement today and all." She paused. "Look… I'm really sorry about the car…"  
  
"Don't worry about it," he said. Soujirou had told him earlier in the evening that the car would be replaced since the chasers were indeed members of the Juppongatana. It was a matter of pride, he had said. Kenshin didn't care why, it was just good to not have to pay for another car. Not that he had the money. Every last cent of his first pay check had gone straight to the hospital.  
  
"Then come on! Let's just have some fun," Kaoru said.  
  
"Ah… it's all right."  
  
"Come on! It's not a contest or anything, let's just have some fun."  
  
"Really, I'm not a good…"  
  
"Himura!" she said firmly. "If you do not get out on that dance floor in five seconds, I'm going to embarrass you thoroughly."  
  
"Oro?" he said, suddenly getting a bit afraid.  
  
"Fine… you leave me no choice."  
  
Then she started to dance. Completely off beat, hair flying the wrong around, arms pumping in and out like a bad 1980's music video. He realized what this was. This was the same thing he had seen her doing that night at the club, before Sano was shot. She didn't really dance this way. She only did it to make people laugh and force them to have fun.  
  
He cracked a smile and chuckled a bit. Kaoru stopped immediately. "Works every time. Now come…"  
  
Someone pushed into her and she fell forward. Kenshin reacted quickly and caught her. Kaoru looked up and realized she was staring right in his violet eyes. If her heart beat any faster, it was going to burst right out of her chest and hit his. He was in a similar situation, taken off guard when she landed in his arms. For a moment, they were frozen.  
  
And then the crowd behind them broke into a fight. Cursing the bad luck, Kenshin pulled away and worked his way into the middle, pulling apart the combatants.  
  
Kaoru sighed and took her drink, taking most of it in one shot. Good thing that this wasn't alcoholic, she said watching the bouncers swoop in. If it was, she'd be drunk by now. She giggled and tried to put her glass down but the table moved and the glass hit the ground. She went to pick it up and suddenly the world started to spin.  
  
She fell to the ground on one knee. What was wrong with her? Someone was reaching a hand down to help her up. Looking up she saw the white haired man holding his arm out. What was his name… and wasn't she supposed to be afraid of him…  
  
She took his arm and he pulled her up with a smile. "Hello again."  
  
"Hi…" Kaoru said slowly, wondering why the words sounded so funny.  
  
Enishi smiled as the girl wobbled a bit. "Careful there," he said. "You don't want to hurt yourself do you?"  
  
"No… no… I shouldn't hurt…"  
  
"Why don't I take you someplace safe?" he said.  
  
"Safe is… good," she said, looking at her hand as it moved. It was leaving behind a fuzzy trail.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Enishi turned around, coming face to face with a very angry looking Kenshin. "Nothing at all, just taking the lovely lady someplace… quieter."  
  
Kaoru giggled, watching her hand again. "Qui…et…ter," she said with a giggle.  
  
Kenshin grabbed her chin and pulled her face straight to look in her eyes. "Hana-dono?" he said. But the black of her eyes was gone and the blue was dull. "You drugged her, you son of a bitch."  
  
"Me?" Enishi said innocently. "Why would I…"  
  
Kenshin pulled Kaoru away. "Wee!" she said, feeling herself move in the air. Then she paused. "Oh… I don't feel too good."  
  
"Then let me take you someplace…" Enishi started.  
  
"Don't even try it," Kenshin snapped back.  
  
"Really?" Enishi said, a sadistic smile crossing his face. "You want to fight me for her? I think we could…"  
  
"Enishi-san," Seta said, suddenly appearing between the two men. "You're needed upstairs."  
  
"Not right now," Enishi said, pushing the little boy away. A second later, immense pain erupted in his right hand. Looking down, he saw Seta had his pinky bent back at such an angle it was almost touching the top of his hand.  
  
"He doesn't like waiting," Seta said with a smile.  
  
Enishi resolve broke and he nodded briskly. Seta let go and looked at Kaoru. "Better take her home," he said. "She lives a few blocks from here." He quickly gave Kenshin the address while Enishi was still within earshot. Kenshin frowned. If he hadn't known any better, he would have sworn Soujirou did that on purpose. As they moved away, Kenshin considered his options.  
  
"That's not my address," Kaoru said with a giggle. "I don't live there… I live…"  
  
Kenshin covered her mouth with his hand. Of course, drugged like this nothing was going to prevent her from blowing her cover. He needed to get her away from the club before anyone there suspected anything.  
  
It was difficult to travel down the roads with Kaoru a half dead weight in his arms. But at least Soujirou had been right. It was fairly close. He dragged her up the stairs and riffled through her purse to find the keys.  
  
The door swung open and Kenshin found himself staring into a small studio apartment. Kaoru pushed away from him and wobbled towards the bed. "So… tired," she said, falling face first on to it.  
  
Kenshin froze at the door. There was something very unnerving about being here. This is obviously where Kaoru was staying during her mission. Who knew what sort of surveillance the police had here. What would happen if they were watching right now and saw the former Hiten assassin Battousai standing in the doorway of their officer's apartment with her passed out on the bed? Things couldn't get much worse, could it?  
  
Kaoru rolled over onto her back the straps of her dress falling off her shoulder and the skirt wrapping itself around her upper thighs.  
  
Ah, Kenshin thought. Apparently they could. Well, Himura, either you stand her gawking like an idiot and wait for the twenty squads cars to pull up or you get yourself out there now.  
  
Still… he couldn't tear himself away. Sleeping like this, she looked so peaceful. His feet kicked in ahead of his mind, he was suddenly by her bed. Grabbing her legs, he turned her around so she was lying against the long side of the bed. He pulled off her shoes and pulled at the blanket, letting it slide from underneath her and placing it over her sleeping form.  
  
No squad cars, he thought happily, making his way to the door. But… there was still Enishi, who knew where Kaoru lived. And knew she was still drugged out of her mind.  
  
With a sigh, he closed the door and slid his back onto it, settling on the ground. He pulled his feet forward and rested his arms on top of them, trying to get comfortable. It was almost three am… he just needed to stay awake for a couple of more hours and then it would be daytime. Just needed to stay… 


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Notes:  
  
Wow! The reviews are flowing!! If this keeps up I'll need a whole page to write these notes. This chapter isn't quite as action packed as the other but… if you are patient and wait for the next one, you'll realize I was just revving up for what's coming next.  
  
Susan – Good to see you go some sleep and are enjoying the stories ^_^  
  
Oryo – I'm trying to develop all the characters as best I can. It's difficult when you are not the original author of a universe but I hope I'm doing the Kenshin-gumi justice.  
  
Midori Natari Himura!!! I can't believe you stopped by!! Wow, celebrities ahoy!! I've read many of your stories too but I can never leave a review without problems. I'll have to try to do it from work sometime. And there is no WAY I'm giving what Misao is before it's time (okay… so you need to wait like a chapter or so).  
  
Dementedchris – your review was wonderful. Thank you, it means a lot coming from an author like you and a true fan girl too (ahem… did I mention my kitten's name was Ryoga??)  
  
Arashi – I was writing the chapter when your review came in so you're going to get your answer in this chapter!! How funny is that! And don't think I've completely reversed my stance on Megumi's character… I just wanted to show her other (more familiar) side.  
  
Thanks to Nim, someone, Shuro(!!), Koneko-dono, Gailstorm, darkangelwings, and Ladi for the reviews!!!  
  
* * *  
  
It was only an hour later that Kenshin awoke, alerted to the sound of footsteps in the hall. His eyes slit open and slid over to the walking figure. He slowly stood up and looked at his opponent.  
  
"Damn," Enishi said. "I should have know you would try to be noble about this."  
  
"Just go away," Kenshin said firmly.  
  
Enishi paused, as if to think about it. "I don't think so. There about another hour to go before the little gift I gave her wears off and I'd hate to waste the chance to cause you pain."  
  
"Pain?" Kenshin said blinking. This wasn't about Kaoru at all, Enishi was trying to get to him. His feet shifted slightly to prepare for a fight. Kenshin frowned, eyes still looking at the white haired man. "I never knew you existed until after I left the Hiten organization. How could I have done something to hurt you?"  
  
"Hurt me?" Enishi said, a smile dancing across his face. "You didn't hurt me... you made me," he finished pure venom in his voice.  
  
Before either could make another move, the door behind Kenshin opened. He turned and saw Kaoru standing there, still wearing her dress from the evening. Her hair lay limply against her face, one strap had fallen off her shoulder. Her arms hung straight down, slightly behind her back. Her eyes still seemed dull and were staring at the ground but there was a spark of something in them again.  
  
"Well, well," Enishi said looking at her, voice returning to normal. "It seems my timing was a bit off."  
  
"Hana-dono," Kenshin said, but she didn't respond. Looking at her, he realized that her right upper arm was twitching slightly.  
  
Kaoru looked up and caught Enishi in her eyes. With a slight wrinkle in her nose from effort, she brought her right arm forward, holding it parallel to the ground so that the nozzle of the little gun was pointed right at him. She had heard his voice and whatever part of her subconscious was awake had pushed her out of bed, gotten the gun and brought her here to confront the man that had done this to her.  
  
Enishi looked at her and smiled. "Very interesting," he said. "I guess I was wrong about you." He turned on his heel. "Another time, then." Kaoru's arm slowly followed him until he was gone.  
  
Several moments later, she hadn't moved. Kenshin looked at her. "Hana- dono? Are you all right?" Kaoru didn't move. "Hana-dono…"  
  
Her arm dropped and the rest of her followed suit, her subconscious finally giving out against the pull of the drug.  
  
* * *  
  
Megumi stared at the report and frowned. He should have woken up by now. Looking over at the peaceful sleeping form, she had to wonder what he was waiting for. She checked the IV and made a few notes on his chart and was about to walk out when two men walked into the room.  
  
Megumi was a bit surprised. "I'm sorry visiting hours are over," she said firmly.  
  
"We're not here to visit," one of them said, closing the door behind him. "We're here to finish the job." The second man began to advance, pulling out a knife.  
  
"Stop!" Megumi cried. "There is no violence allowed here. This is a hospital!!"  
  
"Then it'll be a short trip to the morgue," the man said.  
  
Megumi put herself in front of him and the bed, arms stretched out. "No! I won't let you hurt him."  
  
"It's nice to know someone cares."  
  
Looking behind her, she saw her patient finally awake. He pushed himself up and looked over at the two. "So they let you out of prison already."  
  
"No thanks to you! You left us behind to get arrested," knife man yelled.  
  
"You were too slow," Sano said with a smile, as he stood up and moved next to Megumi.  
  
"Please," Megumi said, trying to stall for time and pushing Sano away. "I must ask you to stop. This man has been gravely injured and stands no chance against you."  
  
"Oi!" Sano said, his pride slightly offended. "I can handle them just fine. Now lady, just have a seat and…"  
  
She bristled. "Listen here, you stubborn little street punk," Megumi said turning to him. "I spent twelve hours operating on you. I know that you can't fight these guys."  
  
"Thank you so much for relating that information to them," Sano cried. "What the hell is your problem? Can't you see I'm trying to protect you?"  
  
"Protect me?" Megumi replied. "The only one who needs protecting here is you or you are going to ruin all my hard work!"  
  
"Ah…" one of the men said, trying to get their attention back to the two armed people standing there.  
  
"Oh and here I actually thought you cared about me, but it's just about your precious work!" Sano yelled.  
  
"Of course I care about you," Megumi replied. "How am I supposed to submit my paper if you die before I can document the results?"  
  
"NANI??" Sano said, fumes starting to rise. "What kind of doctor are you??"  
  
"A damn good one," she replied coolly. "Considering the mess you were when you came in here. You should be on your hand and knees thanking me, not questioning my abilities."  
  
"Down on… listen here, I didn't ask for your help! And if I knew what a stone cold…"  
  
"If you even think about saying finishing that thought," Megumi said holding up a finger, "I will order up tests that examine you in places you never thought possible."  
  
"Excuse me!" the man with the knife cried. "There are two armed men here are about to…"  
  
The door exploded forward and Aoshi walked in with his gun facing the two men. "On the floor, criminals," he said calmly.  
  
Megumi turned to Sano. "You heard him, on the floor,'' she said. Sano turned several shades of red.  
  
"Are you all right, Megumi?" Aoshi asked, kneeling down and handcuffing the first man.  
  
"Fine," she replied. "You're timing is excellent."  
  
"It was luck. I wanted to tell you that I was going to visit Yahiko in person, rather than have you call him."  
  
"Good, I'll go get security and we can leave together."  
  
"OI!" Sano cried watching her walk out the room. "We're not finished here!!"  
  
* * *  
  
Kaoru woke up again, her head still heavy. What a strange dream she had been having, something about a gun. She sat up and realized she was still wearing the dress from last night. There was a sound in the kitchen and she jumped, reaching for the drawer where she kept the small…  
  
It wasn't there. Kaoru frowned and slid out of bed silently. Her bare feet hit the carpet and she crept forward, trying to sneak up on whomever had broken into her house and… cooked… breakfast? What the hell? She leaned against the wall and peeked over the corner to look inside.  
  
She caught a glimpse of red and frowned. At least she knew who it was. But why was she having a very hard time remember what had happened last night? She walked herself through the hours since she went to the Cho and realized that she was missing about five hours of her life except for some really weird dream that was beginning to look like it was real.  
  
Her heart caught in her throat. Had she blown her cover? There was only one way to find out…  
  
Slowly she walked around the corner and Kenshin looked up. "Good morning Hana-dono," he said.  
  
Kaoru paused. Okay, that was a good sign. "Good morning…" she said slowly.  
  
"Are you feeling better?" he asked. Kaoru nodded slowly. "Do you remember anything?"  
  
Kaoru shook her head. "Gomen… but I…"  
  
"Someone put something in your drink," he said with a frown.  
  
Kaoru paused. "Ah," she said understanding. Stupid! You should have been more careful about that. "Demo… what are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh, I brought you home."  
  
"Brought me home?" she asked. Glancing at the clock, she saw it read 7:40 in the morning. "Just now?"  
  
"No a while ago, but…" He paused, trying how best to phrase it. "There was a problem." Kaoru head tried to understand what had happened. But there was a big blank spot. "Maybe you should eat…"  
  
"Coffee," she said firmly. She was going to need it to piece together what had happened.  
  
"Yes, I saw the machine," he said, pointing the automatic maker that had already brewed the first pot an hour ago. He poured her a cup of coffee and set down in front of her. She took it in her hands.  
  
"I'll go get the paper," he said, while she took the cup. Kaoru nodded and concentrated on getting in as much caffeine as possible. Well, her cover seemed intact. But it didn't explain why Kenshin was here. Seriously, what sort of guy would take a drugged girl home, put her to bed and then wait until morning to make breakfast. She'd had to check her security camera to…  
  
"The paper is heavy today," Kenshin called outside the door. "There must be a new…"  
  
Kaoru spit out of the coffee and was on her feet in a second. She ran over to where Kenshin was and grabbed the paper. "Thank you so much," she said quickly. "And I really appreciate the breakfast but you haven't been home all night and it's not right to keep you here so I'll just see you tonight at the bar!" She slammed the door shut, hugging the paper to her chest and feeling the crime scene photographs hidden inside.  
  
Outside, Kenshin was a bit surprised. "Section," he said, finishing the sentence.  
  
* * *  
  
Megumi turned onto the residential street, turning off the air conditioning and opening the window. She wanted to enjoy the fresh air for as long as possible before she was back in downtown Tokyo.  
  
"So, how's the patient anyway?" Aoshi said, looking at the road ahead.  
  
"Stubborn," Megumi replied. "And arrogant." She trailed off. "It's so infuriating sometimes. I can't tell you how many people I have put back together only to have them show up in the ER a few days later."  
  
"I understand," Aoshi replied. "We have the same problem with criminals. Out of jail, back within a week."  
  
"Well, I hope this paper will get me out," Megumi said. "A full recovery from a bullet wound to the stomach in under a week. If that idiot doesn't do anything to wreck it, I'll be teaching at Tokyo University by the end of the year."  
  
"You could always work for Gensai-sensei," Aoshi said. "He's offered to take you into the practice before."  
  
Megumi nodded. "I know… but I still think he's hoping that one of the girls will take over for him." She turned down the familiar street and smiled slightly. "Back home again."  
  
Aoshi nodded, seeing the house he grew up in pass by. His parents had long since left but the familiar old building still brought up childhood memories. They passed Kaoru's old house next but cast their eyes away, trying not to remember the night when it had been surround by flashing lights and police cars.  
  
Megumi pulled up into the driveway of Gensai-sensei's house and turned off the engine. "Was it that bad?" she asked.  
  
"Megumi," Aoshi said opening the door, "please do not lecture me on the hazards of motorcycle driving again."  
  
"But you don't listen," she said. "Did I tell you about the man they brought in who…"  
  
"Megumi! And Aoshi too," Gensai said stepping out of the door. "Oh… is Kaoru…"  
  
"She's fine," Aoshi said.  
  
"Ah, well, let's go inside. I'll get some tea," he said walking back inside. Megumi and Aoshi followed him, the rush of familiar smells and sights easing their minds away from work for the moment.  
  
"I'll help," Megumi said, quickly tailing Gensai into the kitchen.  
  
Aoshi walked around, looking at the walls and all the pictures there. There were several of Gensai's grandchildren. A couple of Yahiko dressed in his school uniform or playing sports. Gensai's wife was in an old black and white one, next to the one of his children two of whom had already died.  
  
Aoshi looked up with a frown as he saw the younger version of himself in one of the photos. He was still sporting the long hair he had before the academy. He was with Megumi and Kaoru at his high school graduation ceremony. The next one to that was from when he graduated the academy though this time, in addition to the two girls, a tall man was standing next to him.  
  
It was Kaoru's father. A reminder of him was the only thing that Aoshi could not prevent from effecting him emotionally. Reaching down, he picked up the frame of him and her father on Aoshi's first day on the job with his first partner.  
  
"Yahiko should be back in a bit," Gensai said, followed by Megumi who was holding the tray of tea and cakes. "He just took the girls to the store." Aoshi put the picture down and nodded.  
  
"The memorial is in three weeks," Gensai said, watching him sadly. "Kaoru will be able to come, right?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Stubborn. And arrogant."  
  
"Maa maa, Sano," Kenshin said holding up his hands. "I think you are judging her too quickly."  
  
Sano frowned looking at his friend from his bed. "No, you should have seen the way she looked at me and the way she spoke to me. I know how her kind thinks. Street trash, bottom of the barrel, fix him up and kick him out so he stops wasting space."  
  
"Sano…" Kenshin started. "You have to admit, she did a good job. It has been such a short time since you were…" He trailed off. "And now you are almost back to your old self again!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Sano said.  
  
"And she did shuffle the paperwork around so that they didn't realize you were penniless."  
  
Sano frowned.  
  
"And she used to check on you every hour…"  
  
"All right! I get it!" he said. "So maybe she has a glimmer of humanity in her." Sano paused. "Oi, how are we paying for this anyway?"  
  
Kenshin frowned. "It's taken care of."  
  
Sano looked at him. "Oh…you didn't go back to the Hiten family again did you?" Kenshin was silent. "Why the hell would you do something dumb like that!!"  
  
"But you said that I should…"  
  
"I didn't mean it!" he said. "I happen to like this version of you better then the cold hearted bastard you were back then."  
  
Kenshin sighed. "There wasn't another way."  
  
"Well screw that," Sano said standing up. "We're getting out of here."  
  
"I really don't think you should be…"  
  
"I'll be fine," Sano said. "And I'm paying you back ever cent, so get the hell… OOOWWW!"  
  
Kenshin watched as his friend hobbled around the bed clutching his side. Slowly Kenshin let his arm drop, one finger still outstretched.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for?" Sano demanded.  
  
"To show you need to stay here."  
  
"Idiot! I'm trying to help you out of the mess you created."  
  
"Sano," Kenshin said seriously. "I will be fine. It is only temporary and my job is much more… favorable then the last time."  
  
Sano frowned. "I think you're giving them too much credit. They'll get you back in before you know what happened. I've seen it all, they use drugs…"  
  
"I don't do drugs," Kenshin interrupted.  
  
"...gambling…"  
  
"That's your weakness."  
  
"…women…"  
  
Kenshin was silent. Sano's eyes shot open. "Nani?? Is there…"  
  
Kenshin stood up quickly. "I better get going. I will be needed at…"  
  
"KENSHIN! Do you leave without telling me about this…"  
  
"Mr. Sanosuke!" A nurse said rushing it. "Are you all right!"  
  
"Don't let him leave!!" Sano said, pointing at the retreating Kenshin.  
  
"Mr. Sanosuke… that was your friend, not another group of attackers."  
  
"NO! You are letting him…" he cried, watching the last bit of red hair disappear.  
  
"Mr. Sanosuke, you are agitated. If you don't calm down I will…"  
  
"God damn you KENSHIN!!"  
  
"Okay, that was your last warning," she said pulling out the needle and advancing on him.  
  
* * *  
  
Yahiko sighed as the two little girls pulled on his sleeves with their ice cream grubby fingers. At least he wasn't wearing his uniform this time.  
  
"Konnichiwa Yahiko!"  
  
Yahiko turned and saw Tsubame opening the mailbox next to her house. "Konnichiwa," he said back, trying to fight down the blush.  
  
"Did you start on that math assignment yet?"  
  
"Yeah," he said. "It's not too bad."  
  
"Can I call you later if I need help?"  
  
Yahiko smiled. "Sure I'll be around!"  
  
"Yahiko!" Ayame said. "You said you were going to watch The Little Mermaid with us tonight!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah!" Suzume continued jumping up and down. " 'Cause you sing just like Seb…  
  
"Well, got to go!" Yahiko said, trying to salvage what little dignity he had left as he ushered them away. As soon as they were out of Tsubame's earshot he knelt down to the two little girls.  
  
"What did I tell you guys about telling people…"  
  
"Yahiko has a girlfriend!!" Ayame said pointing to his red face. Suzume picked up the chant.  
  
"Oi! Stop that!!" he said, glancing back towards Tsubame's house.  
  
"Megumi!!" Suzume said suddenly, pointing to the blue car parked outside their house. She let go of Yahiko's hand and rushed towards the door, followed quickly by Ayame. Yahiko found himself running too. If Megumi was here then maybe Kaoru…  
  
Yahiko walked into the house and frowned. "Kaoru…"  
  
"Is fine," Aoshi said. No matter how many years had gone by, everyone still worried whenever it was just Aoshi who came. Not that Aoshi could blame them. It had been his job to break the news that night, as if all the emergency personnel hadn't been enough of a warning.  
  
"Where is she?" he demanded. "She was going to take me to Disneyland tomorrow!"  
  
"Yahiko…" Megumi started.  
  
"No!" Yahiko cried. "It's not fair! She's supposed to be back!"  
  
"I know," Aoshi said. "But…"  
  
Yahiko glowered. "Just forget it. Why would I have wanted to go there anyway?" He turned and headed up the stairs, slamming his door shut.  
  
"Ah… he's just a bit angry," Gensai said. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Would you like to stay for dinner?"  
  
Aoshi shook his head. "No, we have to get back. We just thought…"  
  
"It's all right Aoshi," Gensai said. "He doesn't blame you. I'll have him call tomorrow. Now… let me get some things wrapped up for you to take back since I am sure neither of you has anything edible in your apartments."  
  
* * *  
  
Kaoru wiped down the bar and let out a little sigh. Friday night and she was supposed to be sleeping early so she could take Yahiko to Disneyland before it got too crowded tomorrow. Instead she was in the most popular place in Tokyo, surrounded by the social elite, being paid a ridiculous amount in tips but…  
  
She would have given anything to be back home. Was she old before her time? This sort of lifestyle was what everyone her age dreamed about. But all she could think about was Gensai's little house, the two little girls running around and trips with her brother to Disneyland.  
  
Maybe… maybe this time would be the last time. And then she could be Aoshi's real partner, an equal detective.  
  
"One Tokyo Sunrise."  
  
Kaoru whipped around and smiled slightly. "Ah, so I see I have managed to addict you to them as well." She pulled out the ingredients and put the glass down in a few seconds. "There you go… on the house."  
  
Kenshin smiled. "That's good to hear. Hana-dono… about this morning."  
  
Kaoru shook her head. "It's all right. I think I figured it out." Well, I watched the video about twenty times to see if you were for real. "So, thank you… for taking care of me."  
  
"Ah… it was nothing…"  
  
They both sat in silence for a few moments before they tried to speak again.  
  
"Himura-san…"  
  
"Hana-dono…"  
  
They both stopped and laughed nervously.  
  
"Please just call me Kenshin," he said breaking the silence.  
  
"Him… Kenshin," she said softly. "I wanted to thank you. I thought maybe a dinner or something if you weren't too busy…" Yes, because I want to see how much information about the Hiten organization I can get out of you, she thought to herself. Not because you are probably the only gentlemen left in this century and are completely gorgeous to boot. No… I am a professional…  
  
"That sound fair," he replied. Right, I can watch out for her and make sure Enishi leaves her alone. This is repayment for saving Sano's life and to prevent her from getting in the crossfire of Enshi and I , it's not because Sano was right and I might actually…  
  
"Matsuda Hana-san!" The happy voice filtered the crowd. Kaoru looked away quickly from Kenshin towards the end of the bar. Seta was there with a smile, waving at her.  
  
"Gomen," she said looking back at Kenshin. "But I'll talk to you again soon." He nodded watching her run off. "Hai, Soujirou-san," she said reaching him.  
  
"I need you to come with me," he said. "You are our best bartender and are needed for a very important meeting."  
  
"Me?" Kaoru said.  
  
"Yes, follow me."  
  
* * *  
  
Aoshi walked into the police station, casting a side-glance at the bulletin board but not seeing anything for him.  
  
"She didn't show up today," the desk sergeant said with a smile.  
  
"I was not expecting…" Aoshi started.  
  
"Of course not," he replied, turning back to the TV to watch the unfolding news story of a foiled terrorist plot in Southern Japan.  
  
Aoshi walked into his office and checked for voice messages. There was nothing. No e-mail either. It was like the whole world had stopped when he left. He could go home… but it was still only eight o'clock and he could probably get some more work done. His stomach growled in protest. He could probably wait a few more minutes before going to…  
  
"Miss me?"  
  
Looking up, he saw Misao leaning in the doorway, same outfit she wore every day, her long ponytail swinging in the air.  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "I hadn't realized you didn't stop here today."  
  
"Liar," she said with a smile. But he was silent. "Fine then, I'll go get dinner from someone else."  
  
"Wait," he said. "I have a question to ask you… about those politicians."  
  
She smiled. "Of course you do," she said. "All right, but this time… you owe me dessert."  
  
* * *  
  
Karou sat behind the mahogany bar, taking in the supplies. This was about fifteen classes above what was downstairs. There were vintages here that could cost several hundred thousand yen easily.  
  
She nervously straightened the velvet pants and pulled the white shirt. Conservative clothing this time around as requested by Soujirou and it was a pretty damn good outfit considering she had had about two seconds to change before she was due back here. Soujirou was not saying much but Kaoru realized that this was going to be her best shot at getting information about what was going on.  
  
The door opened and Saitou Hajime walked in, followed quickly by Soujirou. He glanced quickly at Kaoru before looking away. Seta threw her a warm smile as he and Saitou walked around the room. After five minutes they settled into two seats and sat silently for the next ten minutes.  
  
At the end of that time, Kaoru was sure there was something wrong. Was this a set up? Maybe last night when she was drugged at the club… they had heard something and had brought her up here to kill her.  
  
Get a grip! she thought to herself. You need to calm down.  
  
The door suddenly swung in and two men walked in. Kaoru didn't recognize them at first. One was blindfolded and the other was a bit on the hefty side with dark circles around his eyes. They walked around the room before finally settling on two seats. By some silent cue, the last member of the new group walked in. She was absolutely stunning and dressed to kill. She shot a glance over at Kaoru before settling into the final seat.  
  
Seta nodded. "It is good to meet with you again, Komagata Yumi-san."  
  
Kaoru almost dropped the bottle of vodka she was holding. Komagata Yumi!! She was the Juppongatana boss's mistress. And those other two… of course, Anji and Usui, two top ranking Juppongatana lieutenants. Here. With two high ranking Hiten members.  
  
"The same to you boy," she said. "Saitou, I see you are still alive." Saitou smiled slightly before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "Whiskey on the rocks!"  
  
Kaoru realized that last part was directed at her and she quickly picked the best one she could find to make the drink.  
  
"So," Yumi continued. "You have about ten minutes to make your case." She snatched the glass from Kaoru's hands.  
  
Seta smiled and looked at Kaoru. "Bring me something with ice, fruit and a little umbrella," he said to her before turning back to Yumi. "We want an assurance from the Juppongatana that they are not attempting to start another war."  
  
Yumi smiled. "You are the ones who threw the first blow, or did you think that we wouldn't have heard how the hit in that night club was modeled after the Juppongatana style?"  
  
"That was not our fault," he said.  
  
"No? Well, the assassin did have a couple of connections to this organization."  
  
"Everyone has a connection to us," Seta replied.  
  
Yumi laughed. "My, we think highly of ourselves, don't we."  
  
Seta took the drink from Kaoru's hand. "If you thought about it for a moment, then you would come to the same conclusion as we did. One of the small yakuza families is attempting to cause trouble between us, especially now when we have finally achieved stability."  
  
"Yes… but what is it with the dead politicians," she asked with a smile. "I thought it might be your work, Saitou but I know you don't dirty your hands with that anymore. Was it the white-haired one? He's so… efficient."  
  
"The concerns of the Hiten are not yours," Seta said, a smile still plastered on his face. "This is just a case of someone wanting to disrupt the delicate balance between us. We want to assure our Juppongatana friends that we have no grievance against them."  
  
Yumi smiled. "Oh this is good. What are you up to?" she said, eyes alive with excitement. "Did that boss of yours finally come down off the clouds and…" She paused. "That's it, isn't it."  
  
"I'm sure I don't know what you're implying," Seta smiled.  
  
"Of course, you'd be throwing yourselves at us now. What, with it occurring in less than a week."  
  
Kaoru tried to look interested in the bar but it was very difficult. She wanted to scream at them to stop the innuendoes and just say whatever the hell they were not talking about.  
  
Seta smiled. "Please deliver our peace message your boss," he said ending the meeting.  
  
Yumi stood up. "I will. Have a nice evening gentlemen." She stood up and walked out the door, followed quickly by the two men.  
  
Seta looked to Saitou and shrugged. "I think they're on to us."  
  
Saitou nodded. "We'll begin preparations. If they want a fight, they're going to get one."  
  
"Matsuda Hana-san?" Kaoru blinked and realized that he was talking to her. She nodded at him. "You can go now. Thank you for your assistance," he finished handed an envelop filled with money to pay her for the job and about ten times her wages to keep quiet about what she had just heard.  
  
She nodded and left quickly. Saitou lit another cigarette while Seta picked up the empty glasses.  
  
"So when are you taking care of that problem?" Saitou asked.  
  
"Tomorrow," he said.  
  
"I'll let Enishi know."  
  
"No," Seta said with a smile. "I have a much better candidate for the job. I promised you I would deliver you the Battousai in a few weeks and I intend to keep my promise." 


	5. Chapter 4

Author's note:  
  
Wow! So many happy reviews ^_^ Thanks!! Demo… don't get mad or anything at the end of this chapter. If I had realized how much cliffhangers get to you, I probably wouldn't have planned to have one at the end of every chapter… Ah well, too late to change that, mwahahahaha!!!  
  
Eesh… this is like two chapters in three days!! But I guess I have to make up for the fact that I probably won't get something out over the weekend since I'll be away in Boston at a bridal shower. God, you know you're getting old when you're friends start to get married.  
  
Susan, FireKat, SaveTheTurkeys (HA!), Tiffany, Nimbus Rey, and Mikazuki – you waited and got the next chap in two days! How's that for service. Thanks for the nice reviews!!  
  
dfourthhorseman – the swords make a reappearance next chapter! This is a Kenshin fic… there can't not be swords!!!  
  
Leigh, – the other group will be making an appearance, I promise, probably in the next few chapters.  
  
Kamimura Kaoru – Arigato!! I had to look it up my Japanese is still limited to naming parts of the house and saying hello.  
  
Tenshineko – thank you sooo much for the add to the favorite list ^_^ As for the leader of the Hiten… *whistles* can't really say at this point.  
  
Darkangelwings – another mention 'cause it makes me happy to hear you're happy. Everyone's happy!!!  
  
Nemo - COOOOOKIEE!!!! Thanks for trying so hard. A lot people (myself included) seem to be having problem with getting stories lately.  
  
Midori – Hee hee… I understand the fan girl mode. Hee hee… isn't it fun writing out the scene that never happened in the show. All the fan girl dreams come true.  
  
Oryo – thanks for the wish for inspiration!! It worked!!  
  
Actually, if you all are wondering where the hell I get these ideas from, I have two words for you. Crystal. Method. That's my inspiration for all the action scenes. And the mushy sad scenes… the RK album itself. 'Departure' mostly but I swear every time I hear that song I want to cry… sniffle… sniffle… I'm going to go listen to Kono Sekai no Katasumi de… to cheer myself up.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
Kenshin looked up just as Soujirou walked down the stairs. The smiling boy made his way over to the bouncer. He motioned and Kenshin followed him into the back room. Amid the supplies of bottles and light bulbs, Seta took a seat on a box and pulled out a small envelope from his pocket.  
  
"Himura-san," Seta started. "We have a small problem."  
  
"What?" Kenshin said, staring at the envelope. He had a very bad feeling about it.  
  
"Remember when I told you that we had problems with the previous bouncer? Well, it seems that we have another problem now, only this time it's with our bartender." Seta sighed. "It's a surprise and a disappointment but it is something that needs to be taken care of immediately."  
  
Kenshin's eyes narrowed. "You know that I…"  
  
"Yes, yes," Seta said with a smile. "I know what you position is on your old career. Only… well, the day she first interviewed, I asked you to make sure she was clean. She made a drop and I know you saw it but didn't report it."  
  
Kenshin's throat clenched slightly. The situation was definitely going downhill fast.  
  
"And after we took you in," Seta was saying, "and helped you pay off your friend's hospital bills. Himura-san, it's hurt us deeply for you to betray us like this." Seta's smile brightened. "But we can easily remedy the situation. Just eliminate the girl and we'll forget your slip."  
  
Kenshin's eyes began to flash angrily as he stared at the little boy. "I won't do it," Kenshin said. "If you want to money back, I'll get it. But I won't go back to being the Hiten's killer."  
  
Seta nodded. "I understand. I knew that this would be your position and I did try to explain it but… things have gotten complicated. And we need you back in the fold more than ever."  
  
He held out the envelope. Kenshin reached forward and grabbed it, waiting a second before ripping it open. There were three photographs inside. One was of Sano, lying in the hospital bed still unconscious. The second was the heart monitor by his bed. The third was an inside shot the monitor, where two vials were attached to a small digital clock by colored wire.  
  
"You put a bomb in…" Kenshin trailed off. It was worse than he expected.  
  
"If you thinking about whether or not you can make it to the hospital before it goes off," Seta said with a smile, "you won't. Even if you get through me. The second you deviate from your mission, the bomb goes off." Seta laughed slightly. "I only hope I didn't put too much explosive in it. I haven't made one in almost a year."  
  
Kenshin's eyes twitched slightly. This wasn't just Sano in danger. That deranged lunatic had probably put enough explosive in the bomb to take out the whole wing of the hospital.  
  
"Here," Seta said, holding up a digital watch. The time was 2:30 in morning and the seconds were slowly ticking away. "Think of it as a small reminder. The alarm has already been set to go off in eighteen hours. So when the watch goes beep, the bomb goes boom."  
  
* * *  
  
"…renowned scientist Tanaka Yoshi was found dead in his apartment earlier this morning from an apparent gunshot wound to the head. Yoshi was a leading scientist in developing telecommunications for DoCoMo. A representative for the company said that he will be sorely missed…"  
  
Kaoru opened the door and pulled in the paper with a frown. She didn't even need to look at the first set of pictures to know what it was about. She glanced over the report and read that once again the three kanji symbols were drawn on the wall with blood. Looking at the last series of picture, she could barely make out the face that the TV news had just flashed across the screen.  
  
Three dead men, no clues except the strange saying. What was going on?  
  
She sighed and walked over to her bookcase, pulling out her copy of 'Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'. Placing it next to her, she opened up the section of the paper with the crossword puzzle in it. Opening up the book, she carefully unfolded page 120 so that it was now two pages wide. Taking the pencil in her free hand, she filled in the crossword with seemingly random letters based on the code printed on the page.  
  
Her job complete for the day, she gathered up the police report and brought it to her safe, spinning the dial as she closed the door. She picked up the paper and took it with her as she walked outside. She walked towards the supermarket and dropped the paper in the trashcan as she passed.  
  
Several minutes later, a businessman walked by dumped his empty coffee cup into the trash. He paused and pulled out the entertainment section from the trash and continued on to the subway station. He pushed his way through the morning commuters and found a place to stand. He glanced over the front page of the paper as the train moved along.  
  
Five stops later, he stepped off the train and dropped the paper as he made his way to the turnstile. One of the station security guards saw him and frowned. Reaching down, he picked up at the paper. Looking at the front page, he shrugged and brought it back to the security office.  
  
Walking into the back, he carefully pulled out a copy of 'Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World' and began to decode Kaoru's message.  
  
Thirty minutes later, Aoshi frowned as he read over Kaoru's report. There was something too convenient about her being at such a high level meeting. His superior had said it was dumb luck, something the department could use with three unsolved murders on their hands.  
  
Then there was this man she wanted to recruit as an informant. Himura Kenshin. The thought of Kaoru being close enough to someone in the Hiten organization to think about trusting them this much… He just didn't like it.  
  
Finally, what was this event that both sides seemed so intent on? And why would it be worth a gang war? Looking up at his clock, he realized that it was barely lunchtime. There was at least five hours to go before Misao would show up.  
  
With an inaudible sigh, he collected the report and headed down to archives. He was a detective after all. When he was first starting out, he had spent hours in the stacks, searching through paper work or using the database. How hard could it be to find information on this Himura character?  
  
* * *  
  
"I hope you understand how dangerous it is for me to here in the middle of the day."  
  
"Of course, Officer Kobe. We won't keep you here longer than needed. Now, you were saying."  
  
"Well, it's just that… I wanted to say that I will need double the amount this time."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"So before I give you this… I want to be paid double."  
  
"Ah… The information you have is pivotal to our plans. It's a very smart idea to try to extort more money from us now."  
  
"It's as you say."  
  
"Of course, it would be just as easy to kill you and take the envelope from your dead hands."  
  
"I…I feel I've earned your trust. "  
  
"But you seem to forget who you are dealing with. The Hiten Yakuza does not take lightly to being blackmailed… especially by its own people."  
  
"I handed over the name of the girl undercover, was not that proof enough that I was loyal?"  
  
"Kamiya Kaoru… yes, that was helpful but you don't seem to understand. Do you have any idea how important this plan is? Any conception of the immensity of the results? The Hiten Yakuza is going to rule Japan in a few weeks."  
  
"Then… I'll just take the normal and half of the…"  
  
"I'm afraid it won't work like that. You've served your purpose Kobe but time is growing short and the fish have started to nibble at our feet. Everyone wants to know what we are doing. I can't risk having someone betray us."  
  
"But I wouldn't betray you!"  
  
"You've already betrayed your employers, the police. What's to stop you from turning on us?"  
  
"I promise… please, just put the gun down. I can…"  
  
"I'm sorry, Officer Kobe. But our relationship has concluded."  
  
"I DIDN'T BETRAY YOU!!"  
  
"No? Then what's this?"  
  
"OW! Why did you… what the hell is that?"  
  
"It was in your hair. You can honestly say that you don't know what it is?"  
  
"I've never seen it BEFORE! Wait… wait… there was a girl. A homeless girl. She ran into me on the way here. We fell to the ground, she must have put it in when we…"  
  
"A good story. And one I believe. It's all right Officer Kobe, you can breath once more. I have no intention of harming you."  
  
"Then… then why did you put me through all this??"  
  
"To stall for time so that my men could follow the signal of this device and find the person listening on the other end."  
  
Misao cursed and ripped off the headphones just as the door to her left exploded. She grabbed the small cassette recorder and headed for the window. The furniture in the room exploded as a hail of bullets pounded them to shreds.  
  
She dove out the open window, landing on the metal fire escape. Not wasting a moment, she jumped off the side, falling two stories into the pile of garbage below. She heard them yelling at her from above and the bags started jump as bullets hit them.  
  
She took of running, hearing the low thud of two of the gangsters hitting the garbage bags, following her down. She didn't dare look back, but clutched the cassette recorder as she ran at full speed down the empty side street.  
  
She turned onto a main street and was almost hit by a car as she leapt across the road. Once on the other side, she cast a quick glance behind her and saw the two men still in hot pursuit. They fired a few shots and people hit the ground screaming.  
  
Ahead of her, Misao saw a small girl skipping rope just as the gangsters crossed the street. The little girl would be right in the line of fire if they tried to hit Misao. Without slowing down, Misao grabbed the little girl and took her into a side alley.  
  
"Just stay here," she said depositing the girl in a corner near the dumpster, barely slowing down. She took the jump rope from the girl and offered a small apology as she took off again. The alleyway short and a low wall was at the end of it. Misao could see open road behind it but…  
  
Three shots hit the brick in front of her. She jumped up quickly, landing on the top of the garbage can to the left and jumping off of it to get the height she needed. She tucked her knees to her chest but her toes still caught the top of the wall. She fell over, hitting the sidewalk on the other side hard and tearing the skin on her legs.  
  
A couple of people moved to help her but Misao was already on her feet, running as quickly as she could but gaining only meters on the two gangsters behind her. This wasn't going to work. Soon, she'd get tired and wouldn't be able to run anymore. Her legs were screaming in agony from the multiple abrasions already.  
  
Up ahead she saw her chance. She grabbed the skateboard from the ground, yelling an apology to boy next to it as she did. She threw the board on the ground and jumped on, pushing it until she was off the sidewalk and onto the street. Taking the jump rope, she swung it a few times and cast it forward towards the car that had stopped at the light.  
  
The rope slid in between the space between the car's left rear view mirror and the windshield. The car shot forward, the rope pulled back and the handle caught firmly. Crouching down, Misao let the car drag her forward and concentrated on balancing on the skateboard. Casting a glance over her shoulder, she saw the retreating figures of the two gangsters. It had worked! She had gotten away!!  
  
There was a screech as the cars behind her swerved out of the way. Misao watch as the black BMW wove its way through traffic. The tinted left mirror rolled down and a man leaned out, holding a gun and aiming right at her.  
  
She let go of the rope and steered the skateboard back towards the sidewalk just as the rear view mirror was ripped of the car from the gunshot. She turned towards the stairs and concentrated on the next move. Sure… she used to do this all the time in high school but it had been years since the last time she tried to pull this off.  
  
She jumped, the skateboard followed and both landed on the staircase railing. She slid down the railing easily but forgot the hardest part was at the bottom. The skateboard slipped from under her and Misao went tumbling to the ground.  
  
She looked up and realized she was in the middle of a park, a familiar park at that. Of course! This was the park in front of the police station she was at yesterday! And there beyond the green trees, she could see the glass doors of the precinct glittering in the sun like the gates of heaven, calling to her with the promise of safety.  
  
A grim look of determination on her face, she pushed off the ground and started to run, her legs completely covered in dirt and blood and threatening to give out on her any second. She heard the squeal of brakes as the BMW slid to a stop in front of the staircase. Two men got out, pulling guns and firing at her as they started to follow her.  
  
She covered her head, she still clutching the tape recorder in one, as the shots hit the trees around her. People were scattering out of the way thankfully and she was the only one in danger. The station loomed ahead of her and the men behind her must not have realized what it was. Several uniformed officers turned in surprise as she headed straight for them. She ran for the door as they pulled their weapons.  
  
Like a baseball player stealing home, she slid against the marble walkway, the glass doors exploded in front of her as bullets hit them. She felt the shards cut into her skin but kept sliding anyway, spinning a few times when she got inside before slamming into the wooden desk of the desk sergeant. She heard people yelling as soon as she hit and saw a flurry of uniforms as people surrounded her or headed outside to join the firefight against the two gangsters.  
  
By the time Aoshi had run from the archives downstairs to see what the blaring alarm was about, the bullets had stopped. He took in the scene of pure chaos. Glass was everywhere and several officers were sporting deep gashes from the explosion.  
  
Looking down, he saw someone curled up by the desk, the sergeant already calling in for EMTs. Whoever it was looked completely beaten. There was blood all over the arms, legs that looked like they had been completely shredded, and several strands of hair that puffed out into little circles from the long braid.  
  
It suddenly clicked in Aoshi's mind who that was. Running over, he turned her around. Misao's eyes blinked slightly as she focused on the form above her. She smiled slightly.  
  
"You owe me dinner," she said, reaching out with her hand still clutching the recorder. As soon as Aoshi had put his hand over hers, she let the darkness come and fell limply in his arms.  
  
* * *  
  
Kaoru turned her hair up into a swirl and wrapped the ribbon around it, letting it fall into a high ponytail. A night off from work and she knew exactly what she was going to do. There was a certain red-haired bouncer who she needed to talk to. Slipping on the flower print sundress, she twirled in the mirror, happy to be out of the bar clothes.  
  
"…are still trying to sort out what caused a gun fight outside of the 29th precinct of the Tokyo Police Department." Kaoru dropped the make-up brush and ran over to the television. She watched horrified as they panned across the demolished entrance. "Two gang members were killed outside of the door but their identity has not been determined. Several people inside were hurt in…"  
  
Kaoru's heart clenched. Aoshi! Was he okay?? The scene flipped to a stretcher being wheeled out of the precinct and she saw him. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of him but watched with confusion when he climbed inside the ambulance as well. If she hadn't know any better, he had almost looked worried…  
  
Before she could watch any more, the doorbell rang. With a confused look, Kaoru walked towards the door. She cautiously opened it until the chain caught. She smiled the moment she saw who it was. Closing the door she flicked off the chain and opened the door.  
  
"I was just coming to see you," she said. She paused. "What's the matter?"  
  
Kenshin was silent. He had no idea what to say or what to do. He had spent most of the day thinking about it. He glanced down at the watch… the alarm would go off in less than three hours. He couldn't think anymore, he had no solution to this problem.  
  
"You're not smiling," Kaoru said, her brow furrowing. Kenshin blinked up and looked at her, green eyes sparkling. "I know something is wrong because you are always smiling… except when you have something on your mind."  
  
"It's nothing, Hana-dono…"  
  
Kaoru frowned a bit. "Well, there's no helping the problem if you're like that. Is it something I can help with?"  
  
Those were not the best words to use. Kenshin shook his head. What could he do? The gun was pressing against his side, buried beneath the fabric of the purple shirt. The coldness of the metal was burning a whole in his side. He almost wished it would spread and freeze him in place.  
  
But there was Sano and the other innocents in the hospital. If he didn't… then they would all be killed. Was the weight of one life worth more than dozens of others? He looked up at Kaoru, seeing the worry dancing behind her self-imposed coldness. Long black hair cascaded from a ponytail, moving slightly with her breath as she stared at him.  
  
Black hair. It moved just like that, right before his bullet tore through her head. He wondered what color eyes she had had, the innocent he killed. He remembered her dress had been a conservative pink one and her skin had been like ivory. And from the scope of his rifle, he had seen them both distort into the horrible color of death, the same color that invisibly stained his hands.  
  
"Well this won't do," Kaoru said simply. "I understand that this may be something that you can't talk about and that's fine. But you are not standing in my door frame looking miserable."  
  
"Han…"  
  
"Don't Hana-dono me," she said firmly. "Look, I don't pretend to know you or your history but I think I sort of understand you. I've seen you at the bar. You smile at everyone, even the street punks that come in who you know will cause trouble. You call cabs for the ones who are too drunk to drive and pay for it half the time. You keep an eye on all the waitresses and conveniently arrive when someone starts harassing them. And… and you dragged me home when I was drugged out of my mind, put me in my bed and sat outside my door all night long to make me breakfast in the morning and never once asked for anything in return.  
  
"But I see you when you do those things," Kaoru continued, "and it's never enough. You never stop to watch the effects. You just move on, looking for the next thing to do, like you're not allowed to enjoy the fact that you help people, like this is penance for something. What are you trying to make up for?" Kenshin blinked. "Nothing could be worth the unhappiness you bring upon yourself."  
  
He was silent. Kaoru sighed. "I'm sure you're making this problem worse than it is. But I'll understand if you can't tell me what it is. But… let me help in another way."  
  
* * *  
  
Aoshi sat in the seat of the emergency room, slowly moving the recorder back and forth in his hands. A nurse walked by and he shot her a look but she only shook her head. He looked up at the clock on the wall. It was 6 o'clock. Under normal circumstance he would have been going out to dinner right now.  
  
Megumi walked out of the room, holding the clipboard in her hands. Aoshi stood up quickly, watching as she approached.  
  
"Aoshi," Megumi said with a slight smile. "Is that concern I see on your face?"  
  
"Megumi, just tell me…"  
  
Megumi waved an arm and rolled her eyes. "Don't get upset. The girl is fine. Dislocated shoulder. Bruised ribs. Multiple abrasions. A couple of deep cuts that needed stitches. If it weren't for the bump she took to the head, I'd let her go tonight. But she'll be fine in a day "  
  
"That's… that's good to hear."  
  
"Oh…" Megumi said, an evil little smile playing on her lips. "I see… so… who is she? Where did you meet her? How old is she??"  
  
Aoshi blinked. "Her name is Misao, I met her at the precinct and I have no idea about her age or anything else about her. She's just a police informant."  
  
"Right," Megumi said backing off when she realized this was hitting a nerve. That didn't mean she wouldn't pound the girl for answers when she woke up. "So what was she doing crashing into a police station in the middle of the day?"  
  
Aoshi looked down at the recorder. "I think she was trying to give me this."  
  
Megumi took it from him and turned it around. "It's strange, there's no company markings on it. Hmmm… did you listen to it."  
  
"No… no, I didn't have time to…"  
  
"Well, let's go use my office then," Megumi said. Maybe it was a love letter, Megumi thought as she giggled. She led them to the small room she called her office. There was only room for a couple of bookcases and a small desk with two chairs. She sat down in one and placed the file down while Aoshi took the other.  
  
He pressed rewind for a moment and then pressed play. The sound of gunfire and glass breaking came out of the cassette player and Aoshi stopped it immediately. Obviously, the tape had been running the entire time Misao was being chased. He let it rewind to the start and tried again. There were several second of silence before the dialogue started.  
  
~ "I hope you understand how dangerous it is for me to here in the middle of the day.  
  
~ "Of course, Officer Kobe. We won't keep you here longer than needed. Now, you were saying."  
  
"Officer?" Megumi said. "Is he…"  
  
"One of ours," Aoshi said with a frown. There had been rumors of a turncoat…  
  
~ "…I want to be paid double."  
  
~ "Ah… The information you have is pivotal to our plans. It's a very smart idea to try to extort more money from us now."  
  
~ "It's as you say."  
  
~ "Of course, it would be just as easy to kill you and take the envelope from your dead hands."  
  
~"I…I feel I've earned your trust. "  
  
~ "But you seem to forget who you are dealing with. The Hiten Yakuza does not take lightly to being blackmailed… especially by its own people."  
  
"The Hiten?" Megumi cried, but Aoshi waved her silent.  
  
~ "…the name of the girl undercover, was not that proof enough that I was loyal?"  
  
~ "Kamiya Kaoru… yes, that was helpful but you don't understand. Do you have any idea…"  
  
The drumming in his ears overpowered the rest of the tape. His mind put the pieces together. Officer Kobe had betrayed them to the Hiten. And he had already told them about Kaoru…  
  
"AOSHI!" Megumi screamed, suddenly at his side and grabbing his arm. "What does it mean? Is Kaoru all right??"  
  
Aoshi stood up and ran out of the office, speeding down the hall. Megumi tried to follow him but watching him speed away, she realized she had gotten the answer to her question. She sank to the floor, hugging her sides in fear before screaming his name out one more time.  
  
* * *  
  
Kaoru handed over the yen and took the small bag from the vendor with a smile. Walking over, she saw Kenshin standing there, looking at the ground with his hands buried into his pockets, a look of concentration on his face.  
  
Okay, so this going to bend the Hana persona a bit but it was suddenly important to her that Kenshin cheered up. She reached him and showed him the bag. He looked at with a puzzled look.  
  
"Han…"  
  
"Ah, ah," she said shaking her head. "Don't talk, just follow me."  
  
She walked over to the koi pond and took a seat on the stone bench. The park was virtually empty and they had the pond all to themselves. Kaoru opened the bag and tossed a piece of bread in, watching the fish swim up to eat it. She smiled slightly before repeating the maneuver.  
  
"When I was younger," she started to say, "and I was having problems with school or my friends, my father would bring me to the park near my house to feed the koi. It was just something peaceful to do."  
  
The bread flew from her hand and landed in the water. Kenshin paused for a minute before reaching into the bag and pulling out a piece to throw the fish. He watched the koi swim up and grabbed it. He had to admit that it was peaceful watching the fish scatter to try to get the food. After a while, he was so concentrated on the ripples in the pond and the blurry of red and orange beneath the water that he almost didn't hear her talking again.  
  
"I remember sometimes thinking, wouldn't it be nice to be a koi," she was saying. "Nothing in the world to worry about but swimming around in your pond and snatching the bread. Your entire life was in just one little pond. No school to worry about. No big responsibilities. Just spend your day in the sun and watch the world around you go by.  
  
"But then I realized that there was nothing much else to their life either. Sure there was no pain, no anger, no hate. But then there was no laughter, no joy, no love. Just swim, back and forth, eat and watch the world pass you by." She threw a piece of bread into the water.  
  
"You should leave your pond, Kenshin," she said. "Don't just watch the world go by and move through the days without getting anywhere. Because then one day… one day you will realize that your chance will be gone."  
  
She paused. The Hana persona was gone, melted away as her eyes started to glisten over as she remember the last time her father had brought her to a koi pond. He had never said those words to her. But she understood… she understood them after he was gone. It was almost as if he had known even then…  
  
Kenshin watched her, seeing the emotion playing out in her face. And suddenly he realized… he couldn't kill her. Not because of the innocent that had died by his hand. Not because of his vow to never do it again.  
  
But because it was her. Kamiya Kaoru. A woman he had run into by fate who spoke the words he had never wanted to hear but knew were true. Who had seen clear through him a matter of weeks. He looked down at his watch, the seconds tick forward, counting towards the inevitable moment of truth.  
  
He knew what he had to do. Even if she hated him forever for betraying her trust, he knew what he had to do. "Can we take a walk?" he asked softly.  
  
Kaoru looked over at him, quickly wiping the tears away from her eyes. "Sure."  
  
* * *  
  
Aoshi motorcycle raced through the street, weaving in between cars as he flew towards the part of town where Kaoru's apartment was. The officer on patrol in the area had seen her leaving with a man, heading towards the local park. She was still alive but… but who was she with? The assassin sent to kill her?  
  
He hit traffic about two minutes from her house. The cars were wedged so tightly together he couldn't hope to pull through. He pulled the bike over to the side and threw his helmet at the wheels as he took off running.  
  
The park was only a few blocks from here but the crowd of people was immense. He pushed his way through them, desperately trying to find a clear path. But the wall of people seemed impassable.  
  
As he continued to move, the real world faded and was replaced by a memory. He was running, down the street towards the Kamiya family house, pushing against the emergency personnel there. He ignored their cries and kept moving forward, breaking free from the grip of his fellow policemen.  
  
He made it into the house and ran towards the stairs, taking them two at a time. But the staircase never seemed to end. It went up forever, like it was trying to reach the stars. His heart was beating in his chest and his breath was ragged. His legs were crying out for mercy but he kept pushing forward. He had to get there, he had to make it.  
  
He broke through to the bedroom, just as they were draping the sheet over the body. Aoshi could only see his hand, lying in the pool of blood, the phone still clenched in it. The people in the room were trying to talk to him but he kept pushing forward, trying to reach the body.  
  
Three men tried to hold him down but he kept going. No, he was going to make it. Kamiya-san would be all right. He would be all right. He wasn't going to be too late. But Aoshi was forever running, forever pushing, forever trying to reach him but never quite getting there.  
  
* * *  
  
Kenshin and Kaoru walked down the path to the wooded area. A small shrine stood in the center of the clearing, paper braids moving gently in the wind. A small water fountain offered visitors the chance to cleanse themselves before praying.  
  
Kaoru walked forward and slowly poured the water over her hands, letting the coldness seep into her skin. Kenshin stood behind her and slowly reached for the gun, pulling it out. Kaoru poured some water and brought it to her face. Kenshin aimed the gun for the back of her head, his breathing growing heavier.  
  
He paused a moment and slowly moved his arm away, taking aim at a tree nearby. It had to look good. There was no one around but he knew there were Hiten men in the park, watching his every move. So they would hear the gunshot and he would emerge. He could take them out quickly. And that would give him enough time to get to Sano and the others before…  
  
"I am disappointed… but not surprised."  
  
Kaoru and Kenshin whipped their heads around. Soujirou Seta stood at the edge of the clearing, silver gun sparkling in the setting sun by his side and a smile on his face. The black in Kenshin's eyes disappeared and the gun in his hand lowering slowly. He hadn't heard Soujirou's approach at all!  
  
"It's all right Himura-san," he said watching the red-haired man waver. "I know you are troubled by all that has been going on. But I can make it easier for you," he said with a smile.  
  
Seta's gun came up, catching the sun and filling the area with a flood of light before the peace was shattered by the gun shot.  
  
* * *  
  
A/N continued : Not enough a cliffhanger for you… well how about this:  
  
Next Episode : The one fight I wanted to see in the Kyoto Arc that never happened, at least not the extent that I have planned ^_^ 


	6. Chapter 5

Author's notes:  
  
Hello everyone!!! Now everyone applaud Xing for getting the site up when promised…YEAH!! It gave me the chance to write not one but two chapters this past week, that were just waiting on my HD. But the chapter after this one isn't completely done… it's proving the be very difficult. There's no action in it, just a lot of dialogue and it's the turning point of the story, setting up for the second half of the story.  
  
This one was fun ^_^ But then you'll see why somewhere down the road.  
  
Someone: KxK Waff should start occurring but… it's a matter of setting things up. Still, I'm a waff fan so it'll happen.  
  
Kamiura Kaoru : Thanks, I'm pretty amazed at the review count myself ^_^  
  
Dementedchris : Yeah, Megumi is acting a bit strange… hmmmm… I wonder why. Guess it'll have to be explained next chapter.  
  
Susan : Eeeek!!! I hope with the week of waiting you didn't hit the floor.  
  
Darkangelwings : Well, there's going to be a fight. But…  
  
Prudence-chan : Don't worry, Sano will be around and becoming more prominent in the later chapters. And yes, Aoshi is very very hot.  
  
Midori : Oh boy… when I was planning ahead for this story and thinking about Enshi… sigh. But yes, Aoshi is (see above). And Misao's identity is slowly being revealed…  
  
Nemo : Actually… it's funny but you nailed my original choice of what would happen. But then I realized the inherent problems with it and hwat I was planning later so it got switched. So I decided to just shoot Kaoru instead.  
  
HA!!  
  
Rebecca, MP, Mei, Omochi, Nim, Gemini, Karlie_Lee, and le blue phenix : I'm happy you're enjoying it. But if you think I'm cruel with that past cliffhanger… oh boy. You'll probably want to hunt me down for what I'm going to do in the next chapters.  
  
* * *  
  
Seta's gun came up, catching the sun and filling the area with a flood of light before the peace was shattered by the gun shot.  
  
Seta turned quickly, hearing it come from behind him. He realized his mistake instantly but it was too late. With inhuman speed, Kenshin was already at him, grabbing the wrist with the gun and turning it back on itself. Seta kicked upward, connecting knee with stomach and squirming free.  
  
He took a few steps back, looking at Kenshin kneeling on the ground. With a smile, Seta held up his right hand, letting the sleeve fall to show his digital watch. Thirty minutes to go. His feet suddenly moved and Seta disappeared into the trees.  
  
Kenshin stood up and was about to pursue him when he came face to face with the nozzle of a gun. He could feel the warmth from it and realized this was the gun they had heard. Aoshi was breathing heavily, having pushed through the crowd until he couldn't take it anymore. He had fired a shot into the air to get them to scatter and rushed here hoping it wouldn't be too late.  
  
"Drop your gun," Aoshi said evenly, pronouncing each word firmly. Kenshin slowly let the gun drop. Kaoru watched the scene play out, torn between asking her partner to calm down and keeping her cover intact. "Are you all right?" Aoshi asked her.  
  
Kaoru nodded, still unsure of what to say. "Come over here," Aoshi said, still holding the gun.  
  
"I'm…" Kaoru started.  
  
"Let it go," Aoshi said. "Your cover was blown. The Hiten Yakuza sent an assassin to kill you and I'm betting that it was this man."  
  
Kaoru shook her head. There was no use hiding it anymore. "No, Aoshi, this is Himura Kenshin, the man I told you I wanted to recruit."  
  
"There is no Himura Kenshin," Aoshi said. "Or at least, there hasn't been for ten years. The real Himura Kenshin died then and this man assumed his identity." Kenshin's eyes narrowed watching the gun in front of him.  
  
"That's… that's not possible," Kaoru said.  
  
"Wake up!" Aoshi yelled. "The man has brought you to a secluded area, he's holding a gun, exactly what do you think he was about to do."  
  
"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin said, "I promise you that…"  
  
"What did you just call me?" Kaoru asked. Kenshin balked and Kaoru nodded to herself. "So you knew who I really was."  
  
"It was nothing you did," he said, still eyeing the gun. "The man you helped that night in the club was my friend. I was there when you called it in to the police. But if you don't let me go now, then he and a lot of other people are going to die."  
  
"As if I would buy a story like that from your kind," Aoshi said, tightening his grip on the gun. But then, he felt a small hand grab his arm. Looking down, he saw Kaoru staring at the ground.  
  
"Let him go," she said softly. Aoshi's grip on the gun started to waver. "If he wanted me dead, I would have been killed a lot earlier in the game."  
  
"Please listen to her," Kenshin said. "There is a bomb in Sano's room and if we don't…"  
  
Kaoru's head suddenly snapped up. "Megumi."  
  
* * *  
  
Seta walked into the Cho, barely out of breath. Looking down at the watch, his smile deepened. In a few minutes, it wouldn't matter that Kenshin had not killed Kaoru. The death of his friend would be enough to turn him. And then there was the other target…  
  
"Soujirou. You're back."  
  
Looking up, Seta saw the tall, thin form of Saitou Hajime staring down at him from the top floor. Small tendrils of smoke danced up to the ceiling from the cigarette in his hand.  
  
"Yes," Seta said. "A bit earlier than I had wanted."  
  
"Whatever the reason," Saitou said, puffing a cloud of smoke, "your timing is excellent. Come upstairs."  
  
Seta nodded and bounded up the stairs, quickly falling into step behind Saitou. The tall man wound his way through the back rooms before reaching the same room where they had met with Yumi the night before. On a table covered with a black velvet cloth, there were five long boxes arranged in the pattern of star. They each walked to an opposite side of the table where the box had their names engraved on it.  
  
"So," Seta said looking down. "It has really come to this. A war with the Juppongatana."  
  
Saitou nodded. "Yes. We received the first declaration this morning. The rules will be standard. The gun fighting is left to the lower ranks. The rest of us, " he continued as they both opened their box, "will follow formal rules of dueling."  
  
The two swords glittered in the light as the two men removed them from the box. Saitou fingers wrapped around the grip and he turned his wrist a few times. Seta smiled at his reflection in the blade.  
  
Saitou looked at the sword. "I never thought I'd use this one more but I can't say I am unhappy at the prospect of running a few Juppongatana through."  
  
"We will make the master proud," Seta smiled.  
  
"Yes…" Saitou said, lowering the sword to his side. "The master. Tell me, Soujirou, do you know where the master is."  
  
Seta's smile wavered for a second before he held the sword tighter. "No. I know he is away for a while but I was never told where."  
  
"Indeed," Saitou said. "And the Battousai… he is not here either."  
  
"Not yet," Seta replied.  
  
"Yes, I know your plan. Even though the girl escaped, there is the bomb." Seta's grip tightened on the sword as Saitou spoke. "It seems a bit much, to build such a powerful bomb to kill such a small man."  
  
Seta smiled. "I was unsure of how much explosive to use. It has been a while since I built one."  
  
"Of course," Saitou said. "I suppose a bit extra is more. Still, it appears your bomb will take out most of the west wing of the hospital. That would have caused us many problems, if we hadn't moved the boss out of the hospital and into a private facility."  
  
Seta smiled stayed in place but his feet were shifting slightly as if he was preparing to move quickly. "That is fortunate."  
  
Saitou walked away from the table. "No one was aware of it but a few doctors and nurses at the hospital and myself. But those nurses, you know how they are. A smiling pretty boy could probably have gotten the information out of them."  
  
Seta nodded and walked away from the table, looking up at Saitou with a smile. "Yes, they are most talkative."  
  
"It puzzled me," Saitou said, "why you would plant a bomb that big in the boy's room knowing that the boss was just one room below." Saitou looked over at the boy. "Tell me, Soujirou, how long have you been working for the Juppongatana?"  
  
Seta smiled and brought the sword up. "From the beginning of course."  
  
"Indeed," Saitou said, bringing his sword up as well. "To be honest, Soujirou, I have known for several days. But the idea of fighting you one on one made me hold off just a bit. Until formal duels were declared."  
  
Saitou's stance shifted, his sword came forward to rest on his fingers. Seta smiled and held the sword while gently tapping one foot on the ground.  
  
* * *  
  
"Damn," Aoshi said, trying to weave through traffic. The police car that they had acquired from the park patrol had its lights and its horns on but people were slow to get out of the way.  
  
"We'll get there," Kaoru said, pausing for a moment before returning to giving instructions out to the dispatch. As soon as she was done, she hooked the handset onto the radio. "They'll start evacuating the hospital. How much time do we have left?"  
  
"About fifteen minutes," Kenshin said looking at his watch.  
  
"I still don't agree with bringing him along," Aoshi looking in the rear view mirror at the red head in the back.  
  
"Let it go, Aoshi," Kaoru said. "He told us about the bomb. That should be enough for the moment."  
  
"You're too trusting," Aoshi said. "When this is done, you are going to be put in jail," he said to the backseat passenger.  
  
"That's what I expected," Kenshin replied.  
  
"It's a mistake," Kaoru said. "I still think his position in the Hiten organization is invaluable."  
  
"Kaoru, he's a member of the yakuza who was sent to kill you," Aoshi said.  
  
"But he didn't," Kaoru replied.  
  
"Because he didn't have the chance," Aoshi replied. "Don't let him fool you, Kaoru. He's just out to help himself. I wouldn't be surprised if he pretends to be an informant for us just to stab us in the back and finish the job with you."  
  
"Aoshi, can't you just take my…"  
  
"No. I'm sorry but I won't allow you to hurt yourself because…"  
  
"Damnit Aoshi! He's not Neechi!"  
  
For reasons Kenshin did not understand, that statement promptly shut the brooding police detective up. They completed the rest of the drive in silence, leaving Kenshin to his thoughts. The pictures of the bomb had convinced them that he was telling the truth. And Kaoru had argued that they bring him along to help his friend rather then send him to jail right away, the shortness of time forcing Aoshi to agree. But when this was over, Kenshin had no doubts that he would end up in jail. It was as he had said. He expected no less. Ten years of running and he had finally been caught. It was only a matter of time before they realized who he really was.  
  
The car's brakes slammed on as Aoshi stopped in front of the hospital's main entrance. Aoshi took off running as Kaoru opened the back door and motioned Kenshin ahead of her. Inside the hospital, patients were being quietly ushered outside as to not create a panic. There were repeated calls for Doctor Blue, a code for the hospital staff to let them know of trouble.  
  
The trio opted for the stairs, since the elevators were packed with escaping people. Four flights later when their legs were ready to collapse, Aoshi burst through the door and almost ran into Megumi.  
  
"We got the message," Megumi said grabbing his arm and pulling him towards Sano's room. "All of it," she said, casting a quick glance at Kaoru.  
  
"Did you find the device?" Aoshi asked.  
  
"Just where you said it would be," she said quickly. They walked into Sano's room where the brown haired man sat on the bed with his arms crossed over his chest. "Of course, this idiot wouldn't move, even after he realized what it was."  
  
"I wouldn't leave," Sano said quickly, "because I knew that idiot would come and try to disarm it," he finished motioning at Kenshin.  
  
"Fine," Megumi said. "We're all here. Now let's leave."  
  
"There's not enough time," Kenshin said looking down at his watch. Five minutes to go. "The people here won't get out before it goes off."  
  
Kaoru reached inside of Aoshi jacket and pulled out the two-way radio. "Dispatch, I need an ETA on the bomb squad."  
  
"ETA is seven minutes," the dispatch said.  
  
"What? Can't they get in faster?"  
  
"The roads are packed. They had to come in with a helicopter but even then…"  
  
"We need to disarm the bomb," Kenshin said, walking over and pulling the back off the heart monitor. It was an unspoken agreement between them all. They couldn't run away now.  
  
"You don't know how to do that," Sano said watching Kenshin move toward it. "What about you two?" He asked motioning to the police officers. Kaoru shook her head.  
  
Kenshin looked at the bomb, the digital clock slowly ticking down. He carefully touched the three wires, red, green and blue that connected the timer to the explosives. "We could cut one of these and…"  
  
"This is out of a bad action movie," Megumi said, crossing her hands.  
  
"I don't see you making any other suggestions," Sano snapped, eliciting a cold glance from Megumi.  
  
"Wait," Kenshin said. "I can see the red wire connected to the alarm button. If we cut that…"  
  
Megumi reached into her white coat and produced a pair of scissors. The group held their breath as Kenshin leaned forward, letting the red wire fall between the two blades.  
  
"WAIT!" The group turned to see Misao limping into the room. "Never, ever cut the red wire," she said, moving towards the bomb. "They put it in there just so people like you who have seen too many movies screw up."  
  
She leaned in towards the bomb and frowned. "Okay, I need a long piece of metal," she said. Megumi reached into her pocket and produced a syringe. Misao nodded and took it in her good hand. With a frown at her damaged arm, she turned to Megumi. "I need someone with a steady hand."  
  
Megumi's face turned to stone and she nodded firmly. "What do I need to do?"  
  
"There's a device in the explosive canister," Misao said, carefully look at the lid, "that will set the bomb off if it detects that the liquid is falling. If we can fool it into thinking the liquid is the same level, then I can drain the explosives out."  
  
"So you want me to keep the syringe touching the ball bearing and the side of the canister?" Megumi said, realizing what was going on. Misao nodded firmly. "All right. Everyone please back up, I'll need some room." She pulled the surgical mask over her face to prevent her breath from disturbing the procedure and gave Misao the go ahead nod.  
  
Misao unscrewed the top slowly, letting Megumi slip the needle inside. As soon as she saw the target, Megumi moved the needle slowly, making sure it touched both the side of the canister and the tiny metal ball floating on the top.  
  
"Quickly, give me the scissors," she said, reaching towards Kenshin. The cold metal touched her hand and Misao brought the blades forward, slowly fishing for the plastic tube behind the wires. She nicked the tube and the smoky liquid began to fall to the ground.  
  
"Isn't that dangerous?" Sano asked, creeping towards the other side of the bed.  
  
"No," Kaoru answered, seeing the other two were busy. "There's an accelerator that gets added when the timer runs out." Knowing about a bomb was part of her job but disarming it… just watching the two girls work made her thankful that she had never joined the bomb squad.  
  
"The needle isn't long enough," Megumi said softly.  
  
Misao looked at the needle with a frown. Megumi was right. It would never reach the bottom of the canister. Closing the scissors, she wrapped the blades around the pipe so that the flow of liquid would stop. She let the scissors drop.  
  
"Give me the needle," she said to Megumi. Megumi's brow furrowed but she slowly let go as the younger girl took the needle with her good hand. "All right, everyone out."  
  
"What?" Kaoru said. "But there's still explosive in the canister!"  
  
"But enough has been taken out so that only this room will be destroyed," she said softly. "Everyone get out. You only have a minute to get clear."  
  
* * *  
  
Seta watched with amusement as Saitou took the stance of Gatotsu, the older man's eyes narrowing in preparation for an attack. Seta foot was tapping against the ground as he prepared for his first attack.  
  
The ground below him exploded as Seta took off. Saitou never moved but watched the plumes of debris shoot up from the floor, the walls and even the ceiling. He listened as the steps came closer.  
  
The room exploded with the sound of metal against metal as the two swords clashed. Seta smiled as he passed by. Saitou turned quickly thrust forward with a Gatotsu Ishiki but was met with only open air.  
  
The sound of Shun Ten Satsu filled the room again as Seta took off again, barely stopping to take a breath. Saitou frowned and turned behind him barely countering the Battou Jutsu as the sword left the sheath and came screaming at him.  
  
Seta paused at the other end of the room, turning back to the other man with a smile. "You've managed to avoid my strike twice," he said with a smile. "I must be out of practice." Tap, tap, tap went his foot.  
  
"Or perhaps, you have not recognized your superior yet," Saitou said, watching the foot tapping. He lunged forward with the Gatotsu Ishiki, leaving a wave of debris behind him as he moved forward. The wall in front of him exploded as the Gatotsu reached its target. Only Seta was not there. Looking above him, Saitou raised the sword to block the blow from above as Seta effortlessly flipped over him.  
  
The younger boy landed on the ground and rolled away, just barely managed to counter the diagonal strike of Gatotsu Nishiki. The two men exchanged a few swipes with the sword, each countering the other until they were both locked in place by entwined swords.  
  
"Very good," Seta said, pushing against Saitou's sword. "But I think it is time to show you the full strength of Shun Ten Satsu."  
  
Saitou lifted a leg and placed it in the younger boy's ribs, pushing him away and freeing the blade. "You talk too much," he said, taking his stance again. Seta stood up, gripping the bruised side with a smile.  
  
"Right," he said, tapping his foot. Looking up at Saitou, the smile flickered for a second as if there was anger trying to peek out. Then he disappeared. Saitou watched the ground, trying to keep an eye out for the moving boy.  
  
The last step of Shun Ten Satsu hit the floor in front of him and Saitou used all his strength to execute the Gatotsu Zeroshiki. The swords missed each other and both combatants wavered slightly after the blows. Looking down, Saitou saw a clean gash through the front of his shirt. An inch closer and it would have ripped his stomach wide open.  
  
Seta felt the burning in his side. Looking down, he saw that Saitou's sword had sliced through his side almost hitting the ribs themselves. Both fighters were bleeding but neither was ready to yield. Standing up, Seta used his sword as a push off point and came around to face the already waiting Saitou. He smiled.  
  
* * *  
  
"Absolutely not," Aoshi said firmly. "We are not leaving you here."  
  
"Do you have a better idea?" Misao said. "One that you can think of in about thirty seconds?" Looking at the clock, she realized it didn't matter. Twenty seconds. They were out of time. "Damn," she said under her breath.  
  
With unbelievable speed, Misao pulled the bomb from the heart monitor and leapt for the window. On the ledge, she threw the bomb in the air, watching as the needle slid out from the canister. It would only take on second for the accelerator to ignite. Watching the silver bomb arc in the air, she fell back towards the room knowing that she was not going to avoid the blast.  
  
She felt someone yank her inside just as it ignited. The windows were blown out from the blast and the sky turned orange from the flames. Smoking debris rained down from the ceiling and the hospital sprinkler system kicked in.  
  
Completely soaked to the bone, the small group of six looked like they had just been through a war zone. Misao pushed slowly off the ground and looked down at the form next to her with a frown. "Idiot," she said seeing that Aoshi had managed to hit the back of his head hard enough to be knocked unconscious by pulling her back inside.  
  
Kaoru stood up next, looking over at Megumi. The doctor was already checking Aoshi out. Next to Kenshin, Sano was telling him to move, to run, to get away from the police. But the redheaded man was just staring her, unwilling to move.  
  
Suddenly, an older man in a long black coat walked into the room, holding an umbrella over his head. He had an air of authority to him, despite the rather scrawny build. "Makimachi," he said to Misao as she stood up and gave him a low bow.  
  
"Okina-san," she said. "I'm sorry about the mess but…"  
  
"No apology necessary," he said waving his hand. "Are you ready to go?" Okina said, looking at the drenched girl.  
  
Misao looked back at the group. "One second please, sir." Okina nodded and left her behind.  
  
"Just who are you?" Megumi asked. "Unless that was daddy Warbucks, I don't think the homeless girl act is going to hold up anymore."  
  
Misao smiled slightly. "No, I guess not." She frowned looking down at Aoshi. "Can you do me a favor?" she said to Megumi. The doctor nodded. "Tell him… tell him I'm sorry but I can't make it for dinner any more."  
  
"Misao," Okina said from outside. Standing up, the black haired girl bowed to the group and quickly left the room.  
  
* * *  
  
Saitou let out a powerful kiai as his sword connected with the chair. Looking to his side, he saw Seta rolling away and struck out with a sideswipe to catch the retreating boy. Seta countered and spun quickly thrusting at Saitou to move him away so that he could prepare for another Shun Ten Satsu. But Saitou's attack continued, the Gatotsu put away for the moment as he tried to beat the boy with pure sword skill alone.  
  
Seta frowned, realizing that this rate, he would not be able to defeat Saitou. The man was more experienced in fighting and stronger too. Each blow against his sword was resonating throughout Seta's body. He looked up at Saitou and saw the grim determination there. He would only have one shot at this.  
  
Moving quickly, he strafed to the left, feeling Saitou's blade catch him in the arm. It was unavoidable but he was prepared for it. So Seta continued to turn, around Saitou's back and into the empty space behind him. Without a pause, Seta took off, preparing another Shun Ten Satsu.  
  
Saitou turned, seeing the boy take off. The destructive footsteps ate up the floor before turning back towards him. Saitou crouched preparing the blade and watching for the strike. But Seta was moving too fast, his Shun Ten Satsu powered by near beserker energy. The only indication that he had touched the floor was the indentation of the ground and the drops of blood as he moved.  
  
Saitou heard the boy moved behind him and realized that mistake. He turned to counter but realized that he was going to be too late. If he had had more then a second to live, maybe Saitou would have regretted something about what had just happened. But as it was, he could only think of the coming darkness.  
  
Seta smile, knowing he had won. His face rippled, the sweet smile being replaced by something slightly more vicious. The sword came down, preparing to pierce Saitou from behind and sever his spinal cord.  
  
But his sword was met with a clash and Seta went tumbling forward past Saitou, his sword wrenched out of his hand. He kneeled on the ground, holding the twisted wrist slightly and trying to ignore the gash in his side and his arm. Suddenly his sword landed on the ground in front of him. Looking up, Seta realized what had happened. And the danger he was in.  
  
"Pick it up."  
  
Seta leaned forward and picked up the sword. He stood up smiling, preparing to meet the final blow with the same cold detachment he had confronted life with.  
  
"So, you have betrayed me. I had hope Saitou was wrong."  
  
Seta smiled. "I am sorry… but my loyalty has resided with the leader of the Juppongatana. And it always will."  
  
"Even now? When you face death at the hand of the one you betrayed? Why not plead for your life? I might spare it."  
  
"I am sorry," Seta said with a smile, "to not grant you that last request. But I will not beg for this life."  
  
"Then leave." Seta blinked in surprise. "Go back to your true master. Tell him the Hiten Yakuza accepts his declaration of war."  
  
Seta nodded and slowly limped out of the room. Saitou watched him with a frown. Looking up at his boss, he shook his head. "You know he'll come back and try to kill you."  
  
"I don't doubt it. But… there is something about him that makes me believe that perhaps he is not as loyal to the Juppongatana as he says he is. Besides, I want to fight the man who almost defeated Saitou Hajime myself." Saitou frowned. "Go get the doctor to sew you up. We have a lot of things to do."  
  
Saitou bowed and walked away. Hiko Seijuro, long black hair flowing down the stiff shoulders of his white and red coat, watched his second in command leave. Walking over, he looked at the two remaining boxes. One of Enishi, and one for his own pupil, the man he had saved from the streets and was subsequently abandoned by.  
  
Battousai Shinta. 


	7. Chapter 6

The firemen pulled the last of their hoses out of the hospital. Kaoru waved at the ones she knew before walking over to Megumi and Aoshi. The dark haired man was sitting quietly as Megumi carefully swabbed the area on his head. He looked in a foul mood already, Kaoru hated to make it worse but…  
  
"Aoshi?" she asked walking up to him. "The chief just called and he wants me down at the station to be debriefed."  
  
Megumi frowned, watching Aoshi nod slowly. "He really should stay under observation until…"  
  
Aoshi stood up and took the coat that was lying next to him, walking towards the car. Kaoru looked over at Megumi with concern.  
  
"Is he all right?" she asked.  
  
Megumi shrugged. "Who knows! It's not like he would say anything if he wasn't." Kaoru nodded and began to walk away but Megumi caught her arm. "Kaoru… it's good that you are safe."  
  
Kaoru smiled. "Thank you Megumi-chan. But you know you shouldn't worry about me!" The girl bounded away and Megumi stood up. That's right, Kaoru… I shouldn't worry about you… it's just that…  
  
Kaoru walked up to the car and opened the door, sliding inside. Wordlessly, Aoshi turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the hospital. On the drive to the station, Kaoru finally found the chance to breathe. And marvel that she was still around to do that.  
  
Her cover had been blown. And she had an assassin hit placed on her. She couldn't believe Aoshi thought it was Kenshin but still… he had had the gun. And taken her away from the crowd. And… No. She wouldn't believe it. If he had wanted her dead, there were so many other times that he could have done it. Besides, she knew, she just knew that he would never harm her.  
  
The car's engine turned off and Kaoru blinked at the familiar station house. The glass doors were replaced and the mess had been cleaned up. Things looked like they had returned to normal.  
  
Aoshi opened the door and stepped out of the car. Kaoru watched him from behind the windshield. No matter who the assassin had been, one thing was clear. Aoshi had saved her life again and she could never make up for it because he never asked for anything. For him, this was his own repayment to her for failing to save her father. As she watched the brooding man enter the station, Kaoru wonder how long he would work to pay off a debt she had never bestowed on him.  
  
* * *  
  
Kenshin sat in the small room waiting for the police to return and begin questioning him. It was over, he realized. He couldn't hide any more. In a few short hours, they would throw him in jail and never let him out.  
  
But it had been worth it, he thought with a small smile. It had been worth giving it up to repay the girl who had given him just a few weeks of happiness and the hope that maybe he could find a place in the normal world again.  
  
The door opened and the two officers walked in shattering his thoughts. Looking up, he was surprised to see the tall dark haired man was one of them. Aoshi looked over to the younger cop and motioned him to leave. The uniformed officer paused before disappearing quickly out the door, letting Aoshi turn his attention to Kenshin.  
  
"I don't care what Kaoru says," Aoshi said looking down at the seated man. "I know you are trouble. And the second she has a moment to step away from the situation and get a good look at it, I know she'll press charges."  
  
Kenshin's brow furrowed. Kaoru had not placed charges against him yet?  
  
"I'll make sure she does," Aoshi continued. "Kaoru is a smart girl but she is too trusting of people she does not know."  
  
Kenshin nodded slowly. "I know."  
  
Aoshi's face flickered with a bit of emotion. How dare this street scum insinuate that he knew anything about Kaoru? After only a few weeks of knowing her, no less! The urge to break every civil right law suddenly flickered through Aoshi's mind.  
  
But the door opened and the police chief walked in, followed by a silent Kaoru, her hands folded in front of her as she held a manila folder against her thighs. Aoshi instantly realized that something was very unpleasant was about to occur.  
  
"Shinomori," he said looking over at Aoshi. "Good job today at the hospital. And good job in keeping your partner out of trouble." Looking over at Kaoru, the police chief smiled. "We'll try to keep you at your desk for a while this time around."  
  
"Thank you sir, I know my brother will appreciate it too," Kaoru said, desperately trying not to look at the table that Kenshin was sitting at or at Aoshi's pentrating glare.  
  
"Kamiya has filled me in on what happened," he said. "I've already contacted the mayor's office and the police commissioner and we're all in agreement. If a war between the Juppongatana and the Hiten Yakuza occurs, Tokyo will be the only victim. Therefore finding a way to stop it from escalating is our first priority."  
  
The chief sighed. "There is only one problem, we have no idea what they are fighting over. The little Kamiya heard has not provided any clues to what it might be, only that whatever it is, it will happen soon. We have only one lead…"  
  
Aoshi watched the chief trail off and looked over at Kenshin. "No," he said firmly. "I will not agree to it."  
  
"I understand your reservations Shinomori and I've read your report but Kamiya…"  
  
"He doesn't exist!" Aoshi said, pointing to Kenshin. "I looked up the records of Himura Kenshin and…"  
  
"Our records were wrong Aoshi," Kaoru said softly, handing him the folder. "I asked the chief to contact City Hall directly to see if…"  
  
Aoshi took the folder and read through it. No police record. An exemplary citizen. The authorization stamps, the clerk's signature, and the fact that the folder had come from the City records. It was completely legitimate. Aoshi dropped the folder on the desk.  
  
Kenshin's hand reached out slowly to grab the folder from the desk. Aoshi had been right before. Kenshin had adopted the name of a deceased man shortly after he left the Hiten Organization. But how…  
  
"Aoshi, I know that you are not comfortable with the idea," Kaoru said walking up to him. "But there is something going on here. And with my cover gone and Kobe's defection to the Hiten there's no telling who we can trust anymore."  
  
"Kamiya believes we can trust him," the chief said. "And I am inclined to trust her instincts. She's out of the line of fire now and I know you'll be there to make sure that she stays that way"  
  
Aoshi looked at the chief, then at Kenshin and finally at Kaoru. She nodded at him. "Think of it for a moment, Aoshi. Do you remember that last time the Yakuza went to war? I wouldn't wish that upon anyone and I know you don't want it either."  
  
Aoshi nodded slowly. He knew he had lost the argument. And to be honest, the moment he looked past his concern for Kaoru, he knew she was right. Kobe, a senior officer in Vice, had probably given away all their informants, all their under cover agents. No one was safe, no one could be trusted.  
  
"Your friend," the chief was saying to Kenshin, "is your only problem. It's obvious that the yakuza would not hesitate in harming him to get to you. In exchange for your help, we will place him under our protection. But there is one problem," the chief said looking to Kaoru.  
  
Kaoru bit her lip and turned to Aoshi. "All of our safe houses have been compromised as well. We can't risk placing someone there until we are sure of the extent of the damage Kobe has caused." Kaoru took in a deep breath. "So I told the chief that I had a place that might work for a short while."  
  
Aoshi looked at her for a few seconds before he realized what was going on. He shook his head but she didn't budge, her eyes looking at him unblinking. Suddenly, Aoshi was gone, out the door before his emotions could get a hold of him.  
  
Kaoru turned to the chief and nodded. He in turn looked over at Kenshin. "So, Himura-san, will you work for us?"  
  
Kenshin held on to the folder and looked over at Kaoru, seeing a torrent of emotions playing out behind her eyes as she looked at the ground. "I would but I am not sure the Hiten organization will accept me back…"  
  
The police chief looked at him. "I have a pretty good feeling they will. Aoshi identified the man who attacked you and Kamiya in the park. His name was Soujirou Seta and according to rumors on the street, he just defected to the Juppongatana. Anything you may have done in his presence will not matter. He's the fugitive now. And we'll release a story saying we had you in custody for a few days in order to determine you involvement in the explosion today. That should give you enough time to regroup and prevent the Hiten organization from getting suspicious."  
  
Kenshin blinked. If Soujirou had really betrayed them then… Kenshin looked down at the papers for Himura Kenshin that lay in the manila folder. His eyes rested on the name listed under father. Himura Hiko. It was too obvious who had done this. Hiko wanted him back and Kenshin knew he could not refuse.  
  
He looked up at Kaoru and found her still unable to look his way. She was right, the last Yakuza war had been horrible, especially since he was a part of it. No matter what Hiko had done for him in the past, there was no way he could justify helping the man nearly destroy Tokyo again. Maybe, he could talk some reason into his ex-mentor and prevent the yakuza war from exploding.  
  
"All right," Kenshin said, standing up. "I'll do it."  
  
"Good," the chief said. "Considering your previous relationship with Kamiya-san, she and Aoshi will be your contacts during your mission." Kenshin nodded, not surprised that Aoshi had been included. The chief wasn't willing to compromise an officer, no matter what she believed.  
  
"And Sano?" Kenshin said.  
  
"He'll be staying at my fath… at my old house," Kaoru said softly.  
  
* * *  
  
"Nice digs," Sano said as they walked to the small house. There was a large thud behind them as Aoshi dropped the bags and glared. He walked through the empty living room and towards the stairs.  
  
"Do not go upstairs," he said simply. "No one is allowed upstairs."  
  
Sano and Kenshin watched him walk out, almost running into the elderly man who was at the door. "Ah Aoshi, Kaoru is… waiting…"  
  
Gensai watched him leave with a frown. Turning back towards the two men, his face lit up with a smile. "You must be Himura-san and Sagara-san."  
  
"Yes," Kenshin said with a small bow. "You are Gensai-sensei, correct?"  
  
Gensai nodded. "I see you have been forewarned," he said with smile. "As have I. Megumi told me that Sagara-san had some injuries which he seems intent on making worse."  
  
"Oi!" Sano protested.  
  
"Come, I'll show you to the guestroom so you can rest."  
  
"I'm not a little boy!" Sano said indignantly as he was pulled away.  
  
Kenshin smiled slightly, glad to see that Sano was healing quickly. He had to give Megumi a lot of credit for that, even if the woman was causing more aggravation on his friend then necessary. Of course, it was amusing to watch.  
  
After Sano and Gensai left, Kenshin slowly walked around the room. For a place that was no longer lived in, it was immaculate. There was no dust on the furniture, no cobwebs in the window. The place looked as if time had stopped here. Looking at the walls, he saw a number of framed pictures hanging there. One caught his eye immediately. A small girl holding a bokken next to a bearded man. It must Kaoru, Kenshin realized, and her father.  
  
"Kamiya-san hung his pictures in the wall because he saw it at my house first." Kenshin turned around just as Gensai entered the room. "It was a habit I picked up. I found that hanging my pictures around the house made it feel like the people in them were always around."  
  
Kenshin nodded, watching as Gensai came to wall. "Ah… I remember this one," he said pointing to Kenshin was looking at. "That was her first day of kendo class," he said with a smile. "Her father was very proud."  
  
"Who's that," Kenshin said pointing to a woman holding a baby next to it.  
  
Gensai looked at the picture, his eyes reflecting the sadness he felt. "That's Kaoru's mother right after she was born." He paused. "She died about thirty minutes later."  
  
"But at the station, she mentioned being able to see her brother again."  
  
"Adopted," Gensai said. "Kamiya-san knew his parents very well and when they died, he agreed to take custody of their child."  
  
"That was very kind of him."  
  
Gensai sighed. "It was Kamiya-san's way. He made his own family for the one he lost."  
  
Kenshin's brow furrowed as he scanned the wall. There were dozens of pictures of men, women and children, each had similar characteristics and therefore, should have all had similar background. "Then, these aren't the rest of the Kamiya family."  
  
"They are," Gensai replied softly. "But… none of them are around any more. Fire, plane crash, cancer," he said pointing at each group, "car accident, drowning, leukemia, and…" his hand rested on the picture of Kaoru and her father. He pulled away.  
  
"The story of the Kamiya family is one of tragedy. If we didn't live in such modern times, you might be able to argue that they were cursed. But whatever the reason, time has slowly eroded them down to just one."  
  
"Kaoru."  
  
"Yes," Gensai said. "It's why Kamiya-san tried to create a new family around her. He found people whose tragedy was almost as great as his own and made them a family," he finished pointing to a group picture in the middle. Kaoru, Yahiko, Megumi, Aoshi and Kamiya-san, they stood together in front of the fountain at Ueno Park.  
  
"And it's why we all worry so much about her," he continued. "Kamiya-san brought these separate people together and made them whole again. I am not one to tell of what the others went through or what Kamiya-san saved them from. But I can tell you their loyalty to her is absolute. Her father gave them a second chance but she gave them peace and joy." His hand moved across a series of photographs at various places around Tokyo. In each one, there was Kaoru smiling surrounded by the three others. Despite their stoic appearances, there was something in each of their eyes. He was right, they were happy even if they weren't smiling.  
  
"It's why Aoshi shows no emotion except when it is about her or her father. It's why Megumi, who has the emotional strength of a lioness, will collapse if she thinks Kaoru is in danger. And it's why Yahiko is pushes himself each day to be older than he should be, so that he can protect her. Because in their minds, they have made themselves believe that Kaoru is destined to follow the same fate as the rest of her family. That she is only theirs for a short amount of time.  
  
"And I am telling you about this not so that you have sympathy for any of them," Gensai said, "but so that you might begin to understand how important she is to all of us. And what will happen to you if you hurt her."  
  
Silence descended on the room. Gensai's voice had never changed, never gotten louder. But there was no questioning his threat, especially after Kenshin had seen Aoshi's reactions today. Still… there was one piece missing from all of this.  
  
"Tell me one thing though," Kenshin said. "Do you know who Neechi is?"  
  
Gensai blinked and looked at Kenshin with surprise. "How did you hear that name?"  
  
"Kaoru said something in the car to Aoshi," Kenshin replied. "That I wasn't Neechi."  
  
Gensai looked back at the pictures. "Neechi was a nickname for a friend of Megumi's, after that Western philosopher. He met Megumi before she met Kamiya-san but despite sharing some of the problems Megumi had, he was a good kid. He had a real crush on Kaoru, though they didn't see each other much. He did take her to his prom." He pointed to a picture of a brown haired boy and Kaoru dressed in formal wear.  
  
Gensai's face fell slightly. "It's a very sad story actually. His sister took care of them after their parents died. She was working for a politician to pay her way though college and he helped her as much as he could. But one day at work, a bullet that was intended for the councilmen hit her instead, right in front of him. Kaoru and her father tried to help him, brought him here to stay but it was too late. I still wonder what happened to him but he disappeared after…"  
  
"After what?" Kenshin said, feeling as if he knew the answer.  
  
Gensai looked at Kenshin and then slowly up the stairs. "After he broke apart."  
  
"No," Kenshin said softly. "He…"  
  
"No one blames him, especially after they found him. His face was completely torn apart, his arms and legs were shredded, like he had been trying to rip out of his own skin to escape what was happening to him. And Kamiya-san… he was just there at the wrong time. The bullet was never meant for him, the poor boy was planning to kill himself. They brought him to an institution but the Neechi we knew was gone by then. Three days he arrived there, he escaped…"  
  
Kenshin reached forward and grabbed the picture of the young man and Kaoru. He looked at the man there, trying to match it up with… but no, it wasn't possible. It couldn't be.  
  
He saw it again in his mind, her black hair exploding as his bullet hit her. Her body falling to the ground in a pool of blood. The headlines next day on the papers about her, the innocent that got in the way of an assassination attempt. And about her distraught brother who had seen the entire thing…  
  
"Himura-san, are you all right?" Kenshin looked over at Gensai. "You're eyes have lost their color."  
  
* * *  
  
Aoshi's pen tapped the notepad listlessly. The cup of coffee next to him had cooled, the steam no longer rising from it. The front door slammed and a second later, Kaoru walked into the kitchen, laden with food. She put the bags down and frowned at Aoshi. Grabbing the cup, she poured the liquid out and filled it up with hot coffee from the pot. Putting it down next to him, she looked over at the pad.  
  
"MM7? What does that mean?" Kaoru asked.  
  
Aoshi's head snapped up, looking at her. He had been so deep in thought, he hadn't heard her come it all. "Nothing… I mean, I don't know."  
  
Kaoru leaned forward. "MM… oh, that's the girl at the hospital." Kaoru smiled slightly. "Ah… I see you were busy while I was on assignment."  
  
"It's not what you think."  
  
"No? She seemed really distraught when she left. I thought…"  
  
"She was… an informant."  
  
"Right," Kaoru said. "Because I remember all the other informant you pouted over after they were gone."  
  
Aoshi blistered silently. He was going to listen to her taunts. He was doing this for very legitimate police work. Misao was the person who knew anything about this case. And the faster he found her, the faster those two criminals next door were kicked to the curb. That's why he was doing it. The only reason he was…  
  
"Aoshi," Kaoru whined. "Don't look so upset! It's depressing."  
  
Aoshi looked up at her and marveled at her ability to bounce back from bad situations. A few hours ago, she was targeted to be killed. Now she was concerned about him. It was the same way after her father died.  
  
"I'm sorry Kaoru," he said dropping the pen. "I'm not upset. I'm just… trying to figure a way to close this case."  
  
"Ah," Kaoru said. She wasn't buying that his concern over the informant was just business as usual. But then arguing him would be as easy as yelling at the mountain to move. "Let me see then," she said taking the pad. "So this is your only clue?"  
  
"Yes," he said, watching her turn the pad around.  
  
"English letter… three in a row. This is off a video game, ne?" Aoshi nodded, suppressing a smile. She would make an excellent detective. "Hmmm… did you try other letters?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, I guess you know why the first two are MM but you don't know what the 7 is. So maybe the seven is related to the pattern of the two letters. Oh!" she said suddenly scribbling something down. She held it up. "O, O, 7. Double-O 7! She must have based it off of that."  
  
"Double O 7," Aoshi repeated. "Why does that sound familiar?"  
  
Kaoru smiled and produced her best Scottish accent. "Bond, James Bond."  
  
"The movies. We watched them when we were children," he said.  
  
"There you go," Kaoru said with a smile. "Your informant was telling you she's like James Bond. It makes sense you know. The man who picked her up had spy written all over him."  
  
"But… but why," Aoshi said. "Why would one of the Japanese intelligence agencies be interested in our case?"  
  
Kaoru was about to say something when the front door slammed open. "I'm home!!" called the boyish voice. Kaoru's face lit up and she quickly stood up just as Yahiko entered the kitchen.  
  
"Kaoru?" he said seeing her standing there. "Kaoru!!" he said, smiling broadly and taking a step forward. But he quickly regained control and looked at her with anger. "You didn't take me to Disneyland."  
  
"I missed you too," she said sticking out her tongue at him.  
  
* * *  
  
"Megumi!!! The door!!"  
  
Megumi turned and caught the screen door just before it hit Kaoru in the face. "Kaoru-chan! Please be careful. I spent many hours cooking this and I don't want you to ruin it by spilling it."  
  
Kaoru looked down at the simmering pot of Nebayaki Udon. "I said I would help…"  
  
"So you could poison all of them?"  
  
"Megumi!!" Kaoru cried.  
  
Megumi hummed slightly as she walked out of Gensai's house and approached the house next door. Her steps slowed slightly, as if she could still see the emergency vehicles around the house. But the sights of the past slowly faded into the quiet present and Megumi turned around.  
  
"Kaoru… you don't have to…"  
  
"Come on Megumi," Kaoru said pushing ahead. "It's only a house. Besides, there was no one else to help you." The younger girl walked forward and knocked on the door with her foot, waiting for someone to answer.  
  
The door opened after a beat and Kenshin looked up at the two girls. Kaoru smiled and held up the pots.  
  
"We've brought food," she said walking inside, followed quickly by Megumi not seeing the look Kenshin had given her.  
  
"Yes, considering the way you two have destruction follow you," Megumi continued following Kaoru into the kitchen, "I don't know if this house could stand a cooking attempt."  
  
"You know Megitsune," Sano said, walking out of the guest room, "you are really going to have work on your bedside manner."  
  
Megumi raised an eyebrow. "Did you already say that one already?" she asked. "Maybe you hit your head yesterday?" She put the pot down and looked over her shoulder with a sly smile. "Are you forgetting things or are you just normally this…"  
  
"Megumi!" Kaoru chastised. With a sigh, she put down the pot. "I'm sorry if the place was a bit dusty. Someone comes in to clean it once a month but I'm afraid it's at the later half of the month." She paused and looked over at Kenshin. "… Is there something wrong with the place?"  
  
"Ah… no," Kenshin said.  
  
"But something is wrong," she said. She frowned as he remained silently and finally let go of the pot to drag him away from the other two.  
  
For his part, Kenshin didn't resist. He was trying to think of exactly how to phrase his next sentence. How funny fate was, to weave such on intricate web around him and trap him here, in the living room of a man he had indirectly murder and his daughter who had taken care of him and Sano and didn't even know…  
  
"Spill it," Kaoru said putting her hand on her hips. "I want to know what's going on…"  
  
"This is very difficult to say… but ten years ago, I…"  
  
"Stop," Kaoru said holding up her hand. "Don't say anything else."  
  
"But…"  
  
"No. There is a rule in this house, no one brings up the demons of their past here. That's how it's always been."  
  
"Kaoru-dono, you don't know…"  
  
"And I don't want to know," she said firmly. "I was raised on the belief that you judge a person from the moment you meet them, not from what has happened before. And that is non-negotiable. If that's all there was, then excuse me, I have to go reheat dinner."  
  
She turned away and walked back into the kitchen before he could say another word. Aoshi was right, she was completely naïve! he thought as he started after her. But he never made it past the hallway. Megumi stood there, having heard the whole thing and moving to intercept him.  
  
"Don't press it," Megumi said, crossing her hands in front of her chest.  
  
"Megumi-dono," Kenshin said, "there are something I have to tell her."  
  
"Don't." Megumi said firmly. Her voice suddenly softened. "Please don't." Megumi sighed and recomposed herself. "If you ever wanted a second chance at life, this is it. For some of us, it was our last chance. Do not test her resolve on this issue, Kaoru is very stubborn about it. So do not press it."  
  
"Would you still think if I said it concerned her father's murder?"  
  
Megumi paused and closed her eyes. "Then you would be in the same position as Aoshi and I. We all failed him at that critical moment. But she's never blamed us. She doesn't even blame the man who did pull the trigger."  
  
Megumi's eyes opened, the coldness slowly starting to take over again. "Take my advice. Take this chance. Rewrite your life and let go of whatever haunts you. When you stepped in the door to this house, none of it mattered anymore."  
  
"Oi… jou-chan, is it supposed to bubble that much??" Sano's voice drifted from the kitchen.  
  
"It's fine… I'll just add some vinegar to make up for the stuff that boiled over."  
  
"KAORU!" Megumi said, suddenly running back towards the kitchen. "Do not touch the soup!!"  
  
Kenshin watched her disappear, trying to sort out his feelings. How could he live with himself not telling her? He'd be lying to her every day. But then… there was Megumi and Aoshi. And he saw in their eyes emotions that came only from having witnessed too many evils first hand. But Kaoru never looked at them differently. To her, it was as if they had all grown up in this sleepy suburb. And Kenshin was beginning to think it was not naivety at all but just a pure heart that welcomed everyone.  
  
And then he understood Aoshi's cold anger when it came to him and Kaoru. And Megumi's unspoken concern. And Gensai's words from before. They were totally loyal to her. Looking over at a picture of the four of them, Kenshin marveled at the thought. Aoshi was in police uniform. Megumi was wearing a doctor's coat. Yahiko had a school uniform on. A second chance. A second chance at life.  
  
He nodded to himself. Megumi was right. He wasn't going to pass up this chance. But before he could even think of settling into a peaceful life with Kaoru and her friends, he was going to have to take care of the Yakuza war and make sure it never shattered the peace of this house again. 


	8. Chapter 7

Author's Note : Very quickly 'cause I'm wicked late…  
  
Thanks to everyone! Enjoy next two chapters, better thank yous next upload!!!  
  
* * *  
  
"It's very simple in the end," the police chief was saying. "You will live as you have always lived. The same apartment, the same job. But for a few minutes every so often, you will met with either Aoshi or Kaoru and deliver the information."  
  
"I understand," Kenshin said. The police chief looked down at the red haired man. Kenshin was wearing the same clothes he had worn when the disarmed the bomb at the hospital. His hands rested in front of him, handcuffed to complete the picture. But there was something different, the chief realized, about the way he spoke now. There was determination in his voice, stronger then it had been before.  
  
"All right, two uniformed officers will take you to your apartment and take the handcuffs off you there. We'll be in touch by the phone. Just wait for a wrong number phone call and that will tell you to go to the meeting place."  
  
Kenshin nodded and stood up, letting the two uniformed officers take him to the car outside. They put him the back and slammed the doors shut. The car slowly pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main highway through Tokyo.  
  
Kenshin watched the skyline roll by and tried to collect his thoughts. First he would return the Cho and explain what had happened, that would be the hardest part. If he got past Saitou then maybe he stood a chance at surviving this. No, he wouldn't go to the Cho first. He had to go someplace else first.  
  
"…came back from undercover yesterday."  
  
Kenshin's attention snapped back to the two men in the front.  
  
"Yeah, she did."  
  
"So what's the deal with her anyway? Married?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Dating?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Has anyone ever asked?"  
  
The drive chuckled. "Ever seen her partner? He has the whole I'll-get-my- shotgun-if-you-try routine down better than any real big brother. Besides that, most of the guys at the station see her as just another one of the boys. Ever seen her play basketball?"  
  
"Nope, not yet."  
  
The driver laughed. "After that, you'll see why she just one of the guys."  
  
"Yeah, a real hot and sexy guy… brrr… did it just get really cold in here?"  
  
* * *  
  
Kaoru carefully straightened the black dress against her body. Her heels clicked slightly as she walked over to pick up her purse.  
  
"Kaoru! Come on!!"  
  
"Coming," she called, casting one look at herself in the mirror. It was very important that she looked her best. She was going to see someone very special.  
  
Kaoru walked down the stairs of the Gensai's house and smiled at the group assembled there. Megumi was wearing a similar style dress to hers, the short sleeves fringed with a bit of black lace. Yahiko and Aoshi wore plain suits with simple ties.  
  
The four of them walked out the door just as the wind picked up. Casting a glance to the sky, Kaoru watched the clouds gather and in the distance, she could hear the thunder roll. They slid into the car and the driver in the front quickly pulled away from the house.  
  
Kaoru watched the house disappear as the moved down the street. Everything was shaded a darker hue due to the tinted windows of the car. It was like the world had become a black and white movie.  
  
The drive was uneventful and before Kaoru knew it, she was there. Standing silently in front of the memorial as the incense burned, the tendrils of smoke slowly dancing up into the sky, seemingly feeding the gray clouds that were starting to darken above their heads.  
  
Kaoru felt a soft hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Megumi. The older woman's eyes were cloudy but a tear never fell despite the immense sadness behind them. Kaoru smiled and leaned forward, giving her a hug.  
  
Aoshi looked over at her from where he was standing and she shot him a sad look. This hurt her the most, to see her normal calm partner looking over at her this way, his eyes asking her why. There was no answer to the question that tortured him so and a moment later, unable to stand it any more, he slowly turned and followed after Megumi.  
  
Yahiko and Kaoru were the only two left. She put a reassuring hand on the silent boy before walking forward and kneeling in front of the tall stone marker. She closed her eyes and let her mind center on the image of her father, smiling from the past as she watched him in the present.  
  
She told him everything that had happened in the past year from taking the detectives' test the first time to the happenings of the past few days. Her face never broke its serene look, a silent smile on her lips.  
  
Lightning crackled in the air and the clouds suddenly burst, the heavy rain coming down in a wave of water. But Kaoru remained perfectly dry. Above her, Yahiko held the umbrella over her, letting the water hit him and slowly mat down his hair.  
  
Across town, at another cemetery, Kenshin slowly walked through the rows of memorials until he finally found the one he was looking for. Yukishiro Tomoe. He paused looking at the engravings on the stone. In the ten years since he had killed her, he had never managed to get himself to come here, fearing that the overwhelming guilt would tilt him over the precarious edge of sanity.  
  
But he was stronger now, suddenly having a purpose for living. No more ambling through each day, eeking out a meager existence just to survive. There was a goal, a chance at redemption and the possibility of a second chance. But it had to start here. He needed to know and acknowledge his mistake, accept the responsibility for it and then move on, making sure to never forget the mistakes of the past, but to use them to grow rather than as a source of self-torture.  
  
He lit the incense and knelt down in front of the marker. Rain started to fall from above him, soaking the suit he had hastily throw on as soon as they had left him in front of his apartment.  
  
There was a crackle of thunder but Kenshin realized he had never seen lightning. Standing up quickly, he saw Enshi standing there, sword in hand as the water dripped down his arm and around the blade.  
  
"So did you figure it out yet?" Enshi said, holding the sword tightly.  
  
Kenshin stood up, glancing over at the marker as he made the connection. He looked back at Enshi with surprise. "Neechi," he said, finally placing the last piece of the puzzle together.  
  
"No," Enshi said. "That was a boy's name. A weak little boy's name."  
  
Kenshin paused. Enshi probably had not recognized Kaoru as she had been disguised and using a different name. But how could not have seen…  
  
'His face was completely torn apart,' Gensai had said, 'his arms and legs were shredded, like he had been trying to rip out of his own skin to escape what was happening to him'.  
  
He reached up to touch his cheek. It was amazing what modern medicine could hide… or change completely. The man in the picture at the Kamiya house and the man in front of him shared only a name, nothing more.  
  
"I told you, you made me," Enishi said with a wicked smile.  
  
"It was a mistake," Kenshin said. "I never meant to…"  
  
"Mistakes are usually the catalyst to things," he replied, his grip on the sword suddenly loosening. Kenshin realized what the boy was thinking of. Apparently, Kenshin wasn't the only one that carried around a heavy load on their conscious.  
  
"And we all make mistakes."  
  
The booming voice caused both men the turn. At the gate, Hiko watched the scene play out. The wind was wrecking havoc with his long cloak. His long hair was matted down on his broad shoulders.  
  
"Mistakes can be costly," Hiko said walking up to them, one arm resting inside his coat. "Such as disobeying an order to remain at home," he said looking over at Enishi, "or abandoning the man that saved them from the streets," he finished looking over at Kenshin.  
  
"Yes, mistakes are costly indeed," the man said, standing between the two men. His serious look breaking suddenly. "But so long as they are not made again, they are forgivable. And more importantly, making one forces you to some how make up for it."  
  
There was a rumbling by the gate and a black BMW pulled up. "Hiko-san," Saitou said, emerging from the passenger side. "The Juppongatana just blew up one of warehouses in Yokohama."  
  
"Finally," Enishi said, striding over to the car and opening the back seat door. "A chance to show them what happens when they mess with the Hiten family." Hiko walked behind him and reached inside, pulling out a long wooden box.  
  
"Baka deshi," he said tossing it at Kenshin. The impact of it made the ex- assassin buckle slightly. "Try to hang on to this. It cost a lot of money to make."  
  
Kenshin opened the box and pulled the sword from inside. Hiko was right, it looked very expensive. But there was something strange about this sword… the blade was on the wrong way. Kenshin looked up.  
  
"Shishou," he said.  
  
"Feh," Hiko said, "don't get all teary eyed on me now. Just get in the damn car. Saitou! Where's my sake?"  
  
* * *  
  
Aoshi pulled the bike to stop in front of the club. The past few hours had not been ones he chose to remember. As if the memorial service was not enough to ruin the rainy day, an explosion in Yokohama made it clear that that Juppongatana and Hiten were gearing up for a war.  
  
And Aoshi was not ready to leave the entire balance of it in the hands of a man he was certain was lying to them. He needed to follow his own leads and right now they led him here, a bar in the middle of the red light district where word was some Juppongatana members were celebrating their successful attack.  
  
Walking inside, he made a mental note to contact the fire department as soon as he was done here. There were way too many people crammed in here at once. Of course any normal would have noticed that a majority of the people were half naked girls, but Aoshi's single-mindedness pushed him straight towards the bar where he could watch the entire club for the gang members.  
  
Fifteen minutes later after having waved off at least ten women who were probably prostitutes, he saw a bunch of men with trademark Juppongatana bandanas weave their way through the bar. There were only five of them, but there had to be at least a dozen women clinging to them. They walked over to the bar and ordered a couple of drinks. Aoshi kept his head bowed and stared at the drink while he listened to them talk.  
  
One of the girls bumped into him as the crush of people laughed around her. "Gomen!" she said laughing as she watched the drink spill over Aoshi's hand. He looked up barely but that was enough.  
  
Shit! Misao thought as she met with ice cold blue eyes. What the hell was he doing here!  
  
"Hey," one of the gang members said, seeing the way Aoshi and Misao were reacting to each other. "There a problem down there?"  
  
Misao pushed the surprise away and reverted back into her undercover persona. "No way baby!" she called out, trying to cover. "I'm just…"  
  
But the man was already there, eyeing Aoshi. "You got a problem pal."  
  
Seeing Aoshi shift slightly and knowing that it was about to get very nasty very quickly, Misao turned and placed a hang on the thug's chest. "No problem," she said with a smile.  
  
"Then why's this guy staring at you?"  
  
"Ummm…well you see… he's my…"  
  
The thug suddenly backed up. "Oh, I get it. He's your pimp. Sorry man," he said lightly tapping Aoshi's shoulder. "Great taste though. I'll make sure to give her some extra, eh?"  
  
The gang member turned back towards his group while Aoshi and Misao sat in silence. There was really no appropriate response to what had just happened. A few seconds later the group left and Misao managed to squeak out something that sounded like 'I'll be right there, I just have to talk with my… my…'  
  
As soon as they were gone, she turned to Aoshi angrily.  
  
"What are you doing here!" They both said at the same time. Misao balked, giving Aoshi a chance to speak first.  
  
"And what the hell did that guy mean by pimp?"  
  
"Anon…" Misao started, sounding rather sheepish. Which is when Aoshi finally got a good look at her. The shirt was almost see through, leaving not too much to the imagination. Her skirt barely came past the fold in her thighs and the shoes she wore had heels that added at least two inches to her height.  
  
"This isn't exactly something a homeless girl would wear," Aoshi said finally, looking at her in the eyes as to prevent any accidental ogling. Accidental, only accidental, he repeated in his mind.  
  
"Umm, there's a good explanation for this," Misao said.  
  
"Yeah, like you're a spy."  
  
Misao's face brightened as she smiled. "You figured it out! I knew you would!"  
  
"What I haven't figured out is why you get involved with this investigation," he continued.  
  
Misao shook her head. "I can't tell you that but… the clues are all there." Her brow suddenly furrowed. "This doesn't look good."  
  
Aoshi turned around to see what she was staring at. The gang members were talking with someone at a table, who was staring over at the bar.  
  
"It's not," Aoshi said suddenly.  
  
"You know that guy?"  
  
"Unfortunately," Aoshi replied. "I arrested him last week for selling drugs."  
  
Misao watched the entire table turn towards them. "Something tells me the whole pimp thing isn't going to hold up any more."  
  
"I have to agree."  
  
Without another word, they took off, racing through the club and getting outside just as the suddenly armed gang members reached the bar. Misao and Aoshi stopped to catch their breath for a second before he started pulling her towards his bike.  
  
"A motorcycle!" she cried happily as he threw her a helmet. "That's just so cool!!"  
  
Her exuberance in the face of such overwhelming bad odds was strangely calming. But Aoshi didn't let that stop him from flooring the accelerator as soon as the gang emerged from the door. Misao's arms almost broke a few ribs as they took off.  
  
"Are you all right?" he called back. He felt her helmet brush against his back in a nod.  
  
"Just keep going!" she yelled back. "The Juppongatana all have… crap."  
  
Looking in his rear-view mirror, Aoshi saw the line of five motorcycle lights. Suddenly he felt Misao's hand searching his chest. "What are you doing?" he asked in surprise.  
  
"You Tokyo cops are all the same," she said. "Gun is always on a holster on the left shoulder," she said just as her hand closed around the handle. "You drive, I'm going to go shoot a few fish in the barrel."  
  
Before he could say anything, he felt her spin around so that her back was against his. Misao brought one knee up and balanced her hand on it. She steadied her shot and then let the gun go off. One of the bikes spun out of control and crashed in an explosion of sparks.  
  
"Woo hoo!" she cried in victory.  
  
"What!" Aoshi called from the front, not able to see what was going on.  
  
"I got one," she said. She looked up and saw the remaining four catching up with them. "Ah… tell me you can go faster!"  
  
Aoshi looked down at the throttle. No, he couldn't. Damn, they must have modified their bikes for extra speed.  
  
"Faster!" Misao cried, seeing the guns aiming right for her. The motorcycles got lost in the mini-explosion as each of the automatics started to shred pavement in front of her, edging ever closer to back wheel.  
  
"Hold on," he called, bending on arm backwards to grab her waist as he turned the motorcycle around a corner.  
  
Misao watched the pavement move inches beneath her before she realized that the bikes behind them were not letting up. She brought the gun up and fired, taking out another bike. But the recoil sent her elbow into the pavement, grinding the skin away and causing her to lose her grip on the gun.  
  
Aoshi felt the recoil and almost lost his hold on her but somehow managed to maintain it despite the flaring pain in his shoulder. A second later he straightened the bike and let he go.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Misao said looking at her bleeding elbow. "But I lost the gun."  
  
Aoshi didn't say anything but concentrated on the road. A second later, he felt her searching his jacket.  
  
"I don't have another gun!" he called back.  
  
"Cell phone," Misao smiled, reaching into a pocket, "always right lower pocket." She pulled the helmet off with one hand and dialed the cell phone with the other. "This is Makamachi, I need a way out… right, got it." She flipped the phone off and turned back around she was facing Aoshi's back again while slipping it back into his pocket.  
  
"Turn right at the next street light!" she said.  
  
"Why!"  
  
"Just trust me," she said.  
  
Aoshi waited a beat longer before turning the bike again. At least taking turns allowed him to make some headway against the remaining three cycles behind him. But he still had no idea where he was going.  
  
"Left!" she called, dipping herself over to prepare for the turn.  
  
Aoshi did and that and came onto a main road leading up to a bridge. A bridge that was slowly opening upwards. No, she wasn't seriously thinking.  
  
"Just head right for it!" Misao called. "We'll make it, trust me."  
  
There was certainly a lot of trusting going on here. And none of it was on her part. "No," Aoshi called back.  
  
"What!" Misao said.  
  
"Tell me why you are interested in the case," he said.  
  
"This isn't the time to…" The bike started to slow down. Misao smiled. He had her. "Okay, okay… the scientists that were killed were working for us!"  
  
The bike revved up and Aoshi hit the bridge at full speed. The bike hit the edge and sailed over the gap. The back wheel hit the other side first and a second later the front wheel came down. The bike turned and spun, coming to a spot so that they could watch their pursuers.  
  
"They're going to make it," Aoshi said, realizing there wasn't enough of a gap between the two groups to allow the bridge to raise further.  
  
Misao smiled just as the air above them erupted with a tornado-like wind. A black helicopter moved towards the bridge, the side of it exploding and a hail of bullet casings coming down onto the pavement. The Juppongatana bikes skidded as they tried to avoid the shots.  
  
Aoshi just stared at the helicopter. He had never heard it coming until the last second and then as soon as the threat had passed, it suddenly lifted up and disappeared into the night sky.  
  
Misao tried to gently get off the back to make her escape. But Aoshi knew she was about to bolt.  
  
"Just stay here a little bit longer," he said, getting a good grip on her arm.  
  
"It's really not a good idea," Misao said. "I've already said way too much."  
  
"It's not enough at all. What do you mean that the scientists worked for you?"  
  
Misao looked around nervously. "I'm really sorry but… it's just not something I can talk about."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"It's a matter of national security," she said holding up her nose, trying to look important. But the cold night's air suddenly gripped her and the clothes weren't really helping things at all. She sneezed slightly and tried to regain her composure.  
  
Aoshi pulled off his jacket and handed it to her. "You don't look like a spy, sitting there shivering like a little girl."  
  
She snatched the jacket. "I'm not a little girl!" she cried, slipping the jacket on. Of course, it was five times her size and she found herself swimming in it. Well, this wasn't helping her any.  
  
There was a squeal of tires and looking down the street, Aoshi and Misao saw a black car approaching them. Before he could even move, Misao was waving it down. It came to a stop in front of her and the window rolled down.  
  
Okina looked out from inside the car. "Let's go, Makamachi."  
  
Misao started to walk but Aoshi regained his grip on her. "She's not going anywhere until I get a clear answer about what the hell is going on. Were those three men killed because they worked for you?"  
  
Okina frowned and looked at Misao. "Makamachi, I thought we had discussed this."  
  
"I know," she said. "But…" she paused. "Look, we're running out of time and I know that…"  
  
"MISAO!" Okina suddenly yelled. She balked at his anger and the older man quickly let it subside. Misao reached into the pockets of the coat and looked down at the ground. "I know you're trying to help but… just get in the car." She nodded slightly and suddenly slipped out of the jacket, escaping Aoshi's grip.  
  
"Wait a minute," Aoshi said watching her quickly sliding into the car. The window rolled up and the car took off just as Misao closed the door.  
  
He watched the car disappear down the street. It was strange, the way she twisted out of his grip so easily. Aoshi hadn't let up, he wasn't trying to let her escape but she had. And, he realized, she probably could have done it at any moment she wanted.  
  
With a frown, he slipped the jacket back on and felt the cell phone in his pocket hit his leg. He remembered her last action, reaching into the pocket. Pulling out the phone, he saw a series of numbers, a phone number in Tokyo he didn't recognize and that could have only been put there by her.  
  
Misao sat in the car, hands on her lap and head downcast. Okina shot a glance over at her and sighed. "I'm trying not to be too angry, but sometime I don't think you understand the severity of this."  
  
"Of course I do," she said firmly. "But I also understand that we are running out of time and we might need help outside of our organization."  
  
"That's not possible," Okina said firmly. "To reach outside our group would risk the chance that sensitive material would be released to public."  
  
"But I know he wouldn't do that!" Misao cried. "I've read his file, I've been watching him for the past five months. I know we can trust him."  
  
"You should not be recruiting new members in the middle of such a dangerous situation," he said. "You should be concentrating on your work. Now… did you learn anything from the Juppongatana gang members?"  
  
* * *  
  
The phone next to Kenshin's bed rang. He cracked an eye open, looking over at the clock. 6am in the morning. His head was still pounding from the loud music at the Cho last night. He really shouldn't have been surprised that his return would result in a bit of a celebration there. After all, Shishou would look for any reason to crack out the bottle of sake.  
  
Reaching over, his hand rested on the phone for a second before he picked it up.  
  
"Hai… moshi-moshi…"  
  
"Ah, is Takahashi Iwaru there?"  
  
Kenshin paused. "No, no wrong number," he said softly.  
  
"Ah, sorry." Kenshin let the phone drop back onto the receiver as the person hung up. He waited a few minutes longer before he got up and trudged over to the shower.  
  
Shortly afterwards, he dragged himself across the street and into the coffeehouse. With a look over at the girl at the counter, he headed for a table in the back. He placed an order and grabbed a newspaper. He waited until the cup was on the table and then stood up, heading into the back where the bathroom where.  
  
He moved past the two doors and slipped into the storage room in the back. Much to his delight, he recognized the young woman holding the phone to her ear while she looked down at the papers in front of her. Kaoru looked up and flashed a small smile before returning to her conversation.  
  
A second later she put down the phone with a frown. "Aoshi says you were followed so we only have two minutes tops before they get suspicious."  
  
Kenshin nodded and walked forward, looking down at the papers in front of Kaoru. "These three men were killed in an attack that we believe is the work of Saitou Hajime. We also that all three men were working for the Japanese Intelligence Agency at the time of their death."  
  
Kenshin got a good look at the pictures just as Kaoru leaned forward and scooped them away, placing down more things, her hair bouncing playfully off the top of her head. Only two minutes, Kenshin thought. That's all he was going to get with her. And from the looks of it, it was all business.  
  
"We're working on exactly what project they were working on but based on what we know it has to do with something in the communications industry. You haven't heard anything?" she asked looking up at him.  
  
Kenshin shook his head. "Most of the concern right now is about the warehouse that blew up yesterday."  
  
"Do you know what was in that building?" she asked.  
  
"No," he said. "But I got the impression that whatever the Juppongatana wanted to destroy was already gone." He paused. "Wait… there was a shipment leaving today from Osaka. We're going to be driving with it."  
  
Kaoru paused. "This must be it… but what the hell is it?"  
  
Kenshin shook his head. "I have no idea."  
  
The phone next to her rang and Kaoru picked it up. Two words later she looked up at Kenshin. "Okay, you have to leave now." She looked up at him with a firm nod. "Good luck."  
  
He nodded back and left the backroom just feeling a twinge of disappointment. Two minutes had seemed like two seconds to him. And with his trip to Osaka… he shook his head. There was no reason to let daydreams like those break his concentration. There was absolutely no way that Kaoru had been thinking of anything else but…  
  
"One okonomyaki, Osaka style!" Looking up, Kenshin was about to tell her that he never ordered this but stopped with a small smile. He knew who ordered this. And scribbled hastily in sauce was a small message.  
  
See you in Osaka. 


	9. Chapter 8

Aoshi watched Kaoru, seeing the anger flaring in her eyes. He sat impassively as the younger girl slammed her hands onto the desk.  
  
"What do you mean, we're not going to Osaka?"  
  
"It's out of our jurisdiction," he said firmly. "We will let the authorities there deal with the shipment when it arrives."  
  
"It's our case," she argued. "And our informant who's out there."  
  
"Now who is overly concerned about an informant."  
  
Kaoru balked for a second but continued to press the issue. "But I told him we'd be there!"  
  
"Then that was a mistake on your part."  
  
"Aoshi…"  
  
"Kamiya-san, this is no longer up for discussion."  
  
Kaoru frowned and stepped back. Whenever Aoshi switched back to formality, she knew he wasn't going to budge. But she had promised Kenshin they'd meet in Osaka. And how could she possibly trust officers in another city not to blow his cover? She was going to find a way to get to Osaka even if Aoshi was dead set against it.  
  
"So what do we do know?" she asked, trying not to sound too bitter.  
  
"There's a lead," Aoshi said. "The three men killed had all met several days before their deaths in two laboratories. One was the military laboratory outside of Tokyo."  
  
"Right," Kaoru said, "well we can't exactly ask the military what they were doing there."  
  
"No… but the second laboratory was in a DoCoMo building in Tokyo."  
  
"So did you call them yet?"  
  
Aoshi shook his head. "I can't call them."  
  
"Then what, should we go down and ask them face to face?"  
  
Aoshi shook his head. "They'll demand legal papers to do that and we have no documented proof that the three men met there."  
  
Kaoru paused. "Wait a minute… then how do you know?"  
  
Something started ringing under the desk. Aoshi pulled out his cell phone and put it up to his ear. He paused a minute and nodded. "Yes, we'll meet you there in five minutes."  
  
* * *  
  
The open road stretched to the horizon in both directions as Kenshin kept the black BMW to the left of the rig. The long silver truck had two escorts, Kenshin's car and the identical one of the other side driven by Enishi. Which was probably for the best since he didn't think the two of them would survive the drive to Osaka in such a cramped space.  
  
Of course the man sitting in the passenger seat was probably less agreeable then Enishi. At least with Enishi, Kenshin was sure they would try to kill each other three minutes out on the road. But Saitou just sat there silently, like a cobra preparing for the moment to strike.  
  
It had been a long discussion before they reached the decision to have a visible escort. They all agreed that the Juppongatana would not let them reach Osaka without a fight, now that it was common knowledge that the destroyed warehouse had been empty so there was no point in hiding.  
  
Saitou suddenly shifted and pulled something out of his coat. He brought it up to his lips and let it rest there while he continued his search.  
  
"Please do not smoke in the car," Kenshin said, holding onto the wheel to control his voice.  
  
The only reaction was the click of the lighter as Saitou lit the cigarette. He took in a deep drag and let out of the smoke, the cloud filling up the car. "What did you just ask, Battousai?"  
  
Kenshin's grip tightened on the wheel. He knew Saitou was doing this to annoy him. The two had known each other back when Kenshin was the Hiten's main assassin and without fail, they always clashed when they came together. Back in those days, Saitou was still head of his own organization and the fights between him and Kenshin had been numerous but without a winner.  
  
In fact, Kenshin was surprised that Saitou had not challenged his return to the Hiten. Instead, the other man had simply shrugged and pulled out a cigarette when Hiko made the formal announcement. Obviously, Hiko had made sure it was a peaceful transition.  
  
And that disturbed him most of all. Hiko had only made reference to Kenshin's betrayal in the cemetery. After that, it was like it had never occurred. Looking through the rear-view mirror, Kenshin saw the wooden box with the strange sword in it. No, Hiko had accepted what happened and even gone so far as to let Kenshin have a sword that could not kill anyone.  
  
Saitou opened the window and tossed the cigarette out. He reached over and grabbed the two-way radio. "Still all clear," he said briskly.  
  
There was a crackle and then Hiko responded. "It's too quiet." The man said. "Keep an eye on the road."  
  
Saitou put the microphone back and went to close his window when he suddenly stopped.  
  
"What?" Kenshin asked, seeing the other man freezing in place. Saitou was looking out the window at the sky.  
  
"Crop duster," Saitou said.  
  
Kenshin's brow furrowed. He looked out to the side of the road. There were no farms here. Just forests lining the road.  
  
Saitou took the mic in his hand again. "Hiko… look in the sky behind you."  
  
There was a long pause before Hiko responded. "I see it. Enishi and Kenshin, pull the cars behind the truck."  
  
Kenshin shifted gears and let the truck move ahead before slipping behind it and right next to the other car. Saitou reached over and took off his seat belt. He hit the button near Kenshin and the roof to the car started to fold back. Reaching in the back, he pushed the two wooden boxes out of the way and grabbed a long metal tube.  
  
Next to him, Hiko was performing identical actions. Both men stood up and steadied themselves on the windshield of the convertibles. They brought the launchers up, rested them on their shoulders and took aim.  
  
"NOW!" Hiko yelled.  
  
The air around Kenshin was lost in a plume of smoke as the two rockets took off. There was the sound of a loud explosion and Kenshin could only guess that they'd hit the plane tailing them. As the smoke started to clear, Kenshin suddenly realized their mistake.  
  
"It was a diversion!" he called out.  
  
Saitou's head whipped around just in time to see the blockade ahead of them. Five cars blocked the road and several armed men waited there, raising their automatics to take aim. Before he could shout a warning to the other car, the men opened fire.  
  
* * *  
  
Kaoru and Aoshi sat at a café across from the DoCoMo building. Kaoru was still frowning slightly at the thought that Aoshi had gone off without her and gotten so far ahead in the case. But when she saw the small girl with the long braid, Kaoru couldn't help but smile. She looked over at Aoshi with the happy look and he just blistered, knowing she was thinking all the wrong things.  
  
Misao walked over, wear a long jacket and sunglasses. She was carrying a large duffel bag over her shoulder and she smiled at them as she walked up and took a seat.  
  
"Eesh… did it have to be so hot today?" she asked pulling at the jacket. She looked up and smiled at Kaoru.  
  
Aoshi cleared her throat. "This is my partner Kamiya Kaoru. This is Makamachi Misao."  
  
"Nice to meet you," Misao said.  
  
"You too and thank you for helping us the other day," Kaoru said with a smile. "You got me out just before they could…" Kaoru trailed off. "Well, thanks I guess. So you're working for Japanese Intelligence."  
  
Misao's smile never faltered. "Used to anyway. After this, they'll probably fire me and throw me in jail for treason. So we have to figure out what's going on," Misao said, "so they can promote me instead." Kaoru smiled slightly, suddenly getting a grasp of how much the younger girl was risking.  
  
"We need to get into DoCoMo," Misao continued, "so we can access their computer system and see what those scientists were working on."  
  
"Can you just break into it from outside the building?" Kaoru asked.  
  
"I'm not a computer hacker," Misao said. "And even if we could break into the system, the lab computers have no connection to the main network. We need to physically make a connection to one of the network wires to get the information."  
  
"What's the plan?" Aoshi asked.  
  
Misao looked around and quickly flashed them with what was under her coat. It was a uniform for Unified Nippon Computer Systems. "They installed the main network at DoCoMo." She closed the coat and pulled out a map from her duffel bag. "All we need is to get here, on the 75th floor," she said pointing to a location on the paper. "The main network wires cross through here and about twenty feet above that is where the secure lab is."  
  
"Okay, so what do you want us to do?" Kaoru asked.  
  
Misao smiled and turned to open duffel bag towards them, showing them the two uniforms folding neatly inside.  
  
* * *  
  
Sano sat on the couch in the living room trying to read the newspaper. But he just didn't have the patience for it. Since Kenshin left to go back to their apartment, Sano had had nothing to do or anyone to speak to. He was going to go insane with cabin fever.  
  
And then, just when he thought he was at the breaking point, there was a knock at the door. Standing up, he didn't care who it was. Salesmen, religion recruiter, he'd take anyone! Well so long as it wasn't…  
  
"Megumi," he said suddenly seeing the longhaired woman standing in front of him struggling with an armful of bags.  
  
"A little help," she snapped. "Or is too much to hope you have some sense of chivalry in you."  
  
Sano frowned and snatched a few of the bags from her grasp. "I thought a woman like you wouldn't want to admit she was too weak to handle a few bags."  
  
Megumi strode into the kitchen and dropped the remaining groceries on the table. "You can have strength," she said. "I'll take brains over brawn any day."  
  
Sano blistered slightly, realizing that there was a double meaning to that. "Hate to break it to you sweetheart, but I'm not as dumb as you think I am."  
  
"Ah," Megumi said, grabbing a potato and starting to slice it. "So you finished middle school."  
  
"Yeah that would fit your little picture of me," Sano yelled, "but I was studying at Keio High School. Only when you're not handed things on a silver spoon, it's a lot harder to do the things you want to."  
  
Megumi thrust the knife into the potato, spinning to face him. "You think I was handed things? That I didn't have to work hard to get where I am?"  
  
"Exactly. You act like such a spoiled little girl when things don't go your way, what else would I think?"  
  
Megumi's eyes shot open. "How dare…" She reached behind herself to grab the potato to throw at him, forgetting the knife embedded it in. She cried out the second she felt it pierce her skin. Clutching her hand on the wrist, she watched the long red line appear on it.  
  
"Nice move," Sano said, grabbing a towel and turn on the water.  
  
"Go away," Megumi said resolutely. "I can take care of it myself."  
  
"Can't you just stop be so damn defensive for three seconds," he said, taking her arm and pulling it in front of him. "I know what I'm doing."  
  
Megumi cringed feeling the cold water hit the open wound. "Hold that there," he said. "I saw some alcohol in the bathroom."  
  
She watched him go and fought back to urge to yell. He was right to go for the alcohol and telling her to hold the towel down to stop the blood. But… but it was unfair. She was a doctor for God's sake! She could take care of herself.  
  
He walked back with the medical alcohol and other supplies and took the towel away. "This'll hurt a bit."  
  
No shit, she wanted to say. But she bit her lip to stop the words. He watched her as the alcohol hit the open wound. She never flinched, her eyes stayed fixed on the wound the entire time. Noble, proud and strong. If she just didn't feel like she had to make sure everyone knew she was those things all the time, she might be a bit more tolerable.  
  
He took the cotton square and placed it in her palm before wrapping the gauze around her hand. As soon as he was done, Megumi examined her hand with a frown. "You're good at that."  
  
Sano smiled slightly, realizing that that was about as close to a thank-you as he was going to get. "Yeah, well you have a friend like Kenshin and you need to learn good first aid skills, that baka and his kill-none rule."  
  
Megumi nodded slightly. Sano was very dedicated to his friend, she knew that after the incident with the bomb. "So you think he got back in the Hiten organization okay?"  
  
"Kenshin?" Sano said. "Yeah, no problem. Knowing the lucky SOB he's probably sitting on a velvet chair surrounded by a bevy of beauties.  
  
* * *  
  
Kenshin forced the wheel over far as it would go and the Beamer slide to the left of the road, grating against the shoulder and sending up a dozens of piece of stone to hit him. Saitou had folded into the passenger seat, holding a gun and firing over Kenshin's head as they passed the blockade.  
  
The other Beamer hit dirt on the side of the road and eventually spun to stop. With a curse, Kenshin got ready to turn the car around to go help the other two men. But the radio suddenly crackled to life.  
  
"Keeping going! Get the truck to Osaka!"  
  
Saitou frowned and looked back as he watched the retreating black car. Just before it dipped out of sight, he could see Hiko firing the rocket launcher as at the blockade, Enishi covered him with a semi-automatic. The road exploded as the parked cars were hit and even as Kenshin's car sped away they could still see the fire in the distance.  
  
Saitou turned around so he was facing front again. He picked up at the radio and switched the channel. "Is the truck okay?" There was silence on the other end. Saitou repeated his message with a frown. The truck had plowed through the blockade like a knife through butter. But the driver…  
  
"Pull the car around to the driver," Saitou said.  
  
Kenshin nodded and shifted gears up, dashing in front of the truck. It took longer than he thought and looking down at the speedometer, he realized the truck was going way much faster now. He pulled the car so that Saitou was right next to the driver's seat.  
  
Saitou stood up and looked into the cab. The driver was slumped over, half of his head taken out by gunfire. "Hold the car steady."  
  
Kenshin nodded and Saitou leaned over, opening the truck door. He waited for a few minutes and then stretched a long leg over and into the cab. As soon as he was inside he pushed the dead driver to the side and took control of the truck.  
  
"We should be clear to Osaka," the radio next to Kenshin said. "I don't think they could have anticipated Hiko taking out the blockade."  
  
Kenshin grabbed the microphone. "I think they did. Look in the sky to your right." Kenshin waited until he saw Saitou turning towards the second small plane coming towards them.  
  
Kenshin looked in the back. The rocket launcher was gone, Saitou must have lost it when they passed the blockade. And he had no other weapon in the car but the two swords.  
  
The plane flew over the truck and two figures dropped on to the back of the trailer. Kenshin reached back and grabbed the Saitou's box, pulling the sword out of the scabbard and then pushing the leather sheath into the spokes of the steering wheel. Taking the box, he jammed it in between the seat and the accelerator. The car was now running straight down the highway at an increasing speed. He had about half a mile before the road turned again.  
  
Grabbing his sword from the box, he shoved it through the belt on his black pants and stood up. The wind was merciless, whipping his hair around and threatening to blind him. Kenshin reached down and got a good grip on Saitou's sword. He motioned for the other man to speed up.  
  
The truck started to pull ahead and Kenshin waited until the cab was clear. Then without a second thought he let forward with a cry and drove Saitou's sword forward. The metal pierced the side of the truck with ease and Kenshin got whipped towards the back of the cab as he held on tightly and inertia tried to fight him.  
  
Muscles straining, he pulled forward and rested his stomach gently on the hilt of the blade while bringing up his right foot. He had to time this correctly or the truck would completely pass him before he landed. Pushing off, he felt the blade bend before snapping upward give him the push he needed. He kept the jump short and landed on top of the cab.  
  
He looked up, one knee on the top of the cab, the other bent in front of him. The wind was pushing him from behind as he stared down the length of the cab to the two figures there. The black turtleneck offered little protection against the cold but if he felt it, Kenshin didn't show it. He brought his hand forward and rested it on the hilt of his sword, the red ponytail suddenly whipping forward as he shifted his shoulder down to prepare for the attack.  
  
"Hey Chou, looks like they left us something to play with after all."  
  
"Good thing Kamatari," the man with tall blond hair said with a smile. "I thought this job might not be fun."  
  
"He's cute isn't he?" Kamatari asked, the wind blowing against her clothes. "I'm almost sorry we have to kill him." She shifted her stance and Kenshin finally saw the weapon, a long staff with a scythe at the top and a ball and chain on the bottom. That was supposed to be a sword?  
  
"I get the sword," Chou said, pulling out two from the many that were strapped on his body.  
  
There was a cry and they both let the weapons fly at once. It took a second for Kenshin to realize that they weren't moving, it was only their weapons flying at him. What kind of sword did Chou have??  
  
Kenshin jumped, barely avoid the blade and the spikes ball as he jumped upwards. The truck started to pull away giving Kenshin the little push towards the two combatants he needed. He drew the sword out and let loose a battle cry  
  
Chou and Kamatari looked up but sun reflecting off the blade momentarily blinded them. Kamatari saw it first but it was two late. The power of the Ryu Tsui Sen hit her square on the shoulder, driving her at such a force that her feet pushed through the metal of the trailer's roof.  
  
Chou blinked, seeing the damage caused with one blow and barely had time to react. Pulling on of his swords he attacked with all his strength as Kenshin turned to face him. There was no way he could avoid it, Chou thought striking forward.  
  
But suddenly Kenshin was gone. Chou stumbled slightly from the lack of something solid to absorb the weight of his attack. As he moved, he saw a flash of red and realized Kenshin was already behind him. That speed… it was impossible.  
  
A devastating Ryu Kan Sen hit him in the back of the neck. But the reverse blade didn't cut flesh, just caused a considerable amount of shock to Chou so that the man was out cold before he even hit the floor.  
  
Kenshin paused for a second before quickly drawing the sword along his thumb and resheathing it. He walked along the length of the trailer towards the cab. From his seat in the front, Saitou smiled slightly watching the figure move towards him. Two strikes were all Kenshin had needed to defeat the two Juppongatana lieutenants. Soujirou may have failed to deliver the true Battousai but this one might just be useful.  
  
Kenshin paused at the edge of the trailer looking down at the patch of road visible between the cab and trailer. He couldn't even guess how fast they were going. Looking up he saw the ocean following suddenly appearing ahead of them. Osaka was not far now.  
  
* * *  
  
"So what about Kaoru?"  
  
Megumi looked up from the pot and over at Sano chopping away at the vegetables. "What about her?"  
  
Sano held up his hands. "Calm down! The girl has saved my life twice. She just seemed nice."  
  
"Kaoru's very nice," Megumi said, trying to keep the edge from her voice.  
  
Sano smiled. "You got the whole big sister routine down pat, almost as good as the stone statue she calls a partner."  
  
Megumi's anger flickered but died down. "You wouldn't understand," she finally said. Sano shrugged slightly. From what he heard of Gensai and Kenshin conversation, he understood perfectly.  
  
"I just thought it was strange, a nice girl like that as a cop," Sano finally settled on.  
  
Megumi smiled, just ever so slightly. "She tries to be tough but Kaoru could never make it as a street cop. She's just too nice sometimes. Really, she couldn't hurt a fly."  
  
* * *  
  
The man's head snapped backward and he fell to the ground, revealing a very angry looking Kaoru, arm still outstretched from the punch.  
  
"Kaoru!" Aoshi said, somewhat in shock.  
  
Kaoru turned back with a smile. "Problem solved."  
  
"You shouldn't have done that," Aoshi said.  
  
"He was going to call for back up," Kaoru said. "What else could I have done?"  
  
"Oi, keep it down there!"  
  
Looking up at the ceiling, Kaoru and Aoshi watched as Misao's head slowly emerged from the open panel. Her long braid tumbled downward as she hung upside down, hands firmly gripping the laptop.  
  
"You don't want to draw attention to…" Misao trailed off seeing the unconscious guard. "Ah, I guess I have to hurry up," she said disappearing into the ceiling.  
  
Aoshi turned back to Kaoru as soon as she was gone. "Kaoru!"  
  
"No argument Aoshi!" Kaoru said, putting her heads on her hips.  
  
"But… you don't just hit people," he said, still slightly in shock.  
  
"What else was I supposed to do?"  
  
"Talk him out of it, give him a good story…"  
  
"It wouldn't have worked! He had already been back here three times. He was obviously suspicious…"  
  
"But Kaoru… you hit a security officer!"  
  
"Yeah I did," she said, slightly upset. She knew it was wrong, the poor man on the floor was only trying to do his job just like they were. "But there are two people counting on us to succeed at this. If we can't figure out this case then Misao is going to be in a lot of trouble and Kenshin…"  
  
"I knew this was going to get back to him," Aoshi frowned.  
  
Misao suddenly dropped to the floor. "We need to move now," she said, grabbing Aoshi and pulling him away.  
  
"What happened?" Kaoru asked in surprised.  
  
"Someone detected the connection," she said. "Security'll be here any…"  
  
A group of men turned the corner at the end of the hallway and spotted them. Pointing, they started to run towards them.  
  
"That doesn't look like building security!" Kaoru cried just as the men began to pull guns from the jackets, a bit of red flashing from under their coats.  
  
"Juppongatana!" Aoshi cried, grabbing the two girls and shoving them through the door to the right.  
  
The trio found themselves standing on a stairway landing. From the stairs below, they could hear more men approaching them. Without a word, they headed up the stairs, tearing through the first few floors.  
  
"We need to get to the roof!" Misao said.  
  
"And then what," Aoshi said, pulling Kaoru forward to keep up with his longer legs. "We should get off at another floor."  
  
"The hallways on the floors will be in lock down," she said. "I told you… the security system is intense! The roof is the only place to go."  
  
"What's on the roof?" Kaoru said, her breath starting to come faster now. The guard rail next to her exploded as a fury of bullets hit it.  
  
"Whatever it is, it'll be better than this!" Misao cried.  
  
Twenty floors later, they pushed out of the door and found themselves on the roof. Misao ran to the edge of the building and looked down, seeing ninety-five stories of space beneath her. Kaoru and Aoshi split, moving to look for someway down but there was nothing. Aoshi's fist slammed into the concrete railing, his anger finally getting through. He needed to get the two girls away from here somehow. He paused and suddenly realized Kaoru no where in sight.  
  
The door they had come out of flew open and the armed men came onto the roof, guns firing. Misao jumped to the left rolling away as bullets ate the ground behind her. She dove for cover and found Aoshi there as well, tearing off the uniform to get to his gun. Misao followed suit, grabbing the pistol she had strapped to her upper thigh.  
  
With a silent agreement, they both stood up and fired at their attackers before ducking down to reload. Suddenly, the sound of gunfire was interrupted by something at the other end of the roof.  
  
"What is that?" Misao cried.  
  
"It sounds like a helicopter," Aoshi said, looking back carefully. The concrete shed that held the door from the stairs blocked his view.  
  
"There was a helipad on the map of this building," Misao said. "Maybe there was a helicopter on the pad and Kaoru got to it." Aoshi frowned. "She can fly a helicopter right?" Aoshi nodded. "So what's the problem?" Misao said, snapping the next round into her gun.  
  
The helicopter suddenly rose from the side of the building, directly in front of them. In the cockpit, Aoshi could see Kaoru giving them a thumbs up. He grabbed Misao and pushed her down to the ground as Kaoru tipped the nose of the copter towards the roof of the building. The blades came forward, the wind blowing the Juppongatana members back and towards the other edge of the roof.  
  
Kaoru straightened the helicopter and slowly lowered it towards them. Aoshi let go off Misao and the girl looked up with surprise. "She's a bit more aggressive than usual," Aoshi said, "when she's flying one."  
  
Misao nodded, eyes wide open as they ran towards the open door. Pushing Misao inside, Aoshi followed and quickly closed the door. He pulled the helmet on just in time to hear Misao screaming in excitement as she took a seat next to the pilot.  
  
"Kaoru! That kicked!!"  
  
Kaoru smiled. "I love helicopters almost as Aoshi loves his bike." With an evil look, she pushed the throttle to the left and the helicopter tipped to one side, sending Aoshi crashing into the wall. He could hear Kaoru laughing as he did.  
  
"All right," Kaoru said, bringing the helicopter around again and leaving the DoCoMo and most of Tokyo building in her wake. "Let's go."  
  
"Kaoru, take a left and head towards the police helipad," Aoshi said.  
  
"No can do," Kaoru said. "We're not going back to Tokyo."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We're going to Osaka," she said firmly.  
  
"Kaoru, you can not fly this helicopter to Osaka."  
  
"The fuel gauge says I can."  
  
"Ah…" Misao said breaking in, "maybe you two should just calm down a bit…"  
  
"Kaoru, turn this helicopter around right now."  
  
"No."  
  
"We are NOT going to Osaka."  
  
Kaoru's eyes glowered and pushed the throttle forward. The helicopter tipped down and started to head for the ground.  
  
"Osaka!" Misao cried, watching the surface of the Earth suddenly rising up to meet them. "Osaka is just fine!!"  
  
Kaoru smiled and righted the helicopter. "You're out numbered," she sang into the mic. Aoshi glowered and she started to push the throttle again but Misao caught her arm and shot a look back at Aoshi that made it clear that the argument was over.  
  
* * *  
  
"So when they finally landed," Megumi said letting the spoon fall into the soup bowl again, "Aoshi swore up and down that he would never get into another helicopter with her unless it was a matter of life and death."  
  
Sano laughed slightly. Amazingly enough, he and Megumi had managed to hold a civil conversation for almost ten minutes now. He didn't know how much longer it would last but he would take what he could get.  
  
"She's that bad a pilot?" he asked.  
  
Megumi shook her head and was a silent for a minute. "No, Kaoru's an excellent pilot, almost as good as her father was." Sano didn't say anything. Somehow, every time someone mentioned Kaoru's father, the conversation just died.  
  
Megumi blinked and looked up at the clock. "I have to go to work," she said standing up and putting her napkin on the table.  
  
"Right," he said, watching her move. He cleared his throat and tried to muster up the courage to say the next few words. "It was a… good dinner."  
  
Megumi turned with surprise. "Well, you helped make it," she said.  
  
Sano paused. "I didn't mean just the food," he said in a tone barely above a whisper.  
  
Megumi arched an eyebrow and got a wicked smile. "Yes, well with Gensai away with the grandkids, Yahiko at a friend's house and Kaoru and Aoshi at work, this was about the only thing I could think of to pass the time."  
  
Sano let out a frustrated laugh. "You never make things easy do you?"  
  
Megumi's smile widened slightly. "Never. Ja!" she said walking towards the door. Sano stood up and started to collect the dishes just as he heard the front door open. But instead of the retreating footsteps of Megumi, he heard a strangled cry.  
  
Dropping the dishes, he ran to the living room and found a blond woman holding Megumi by the throat. As soon as she locked eyes with him, Yumi smiled and pushed Megumi towards him. Sano barely had time to react to catch her.  
  
"Found you," Yumi said with smile as she drew her gun. 


	10. Chapter 9

Kaoru held the throttle in place, glancing over as Misao as the younger girl typed away on the laptop. The sound of the rotor was muffled and slightly hypnotic and Kaoru turned to concentrate on the rolling landscape beneath them. Aoshi watched them with a grim look. He still couldn't believe that he had made it back into a helicopter with Kaoru at the wheel. Last time, she had skimmed under two bridges, weaved through several skyscrapers and.  
  
He blinked and pushed the thoughts away. "Found anything?" he said into the microphone.  
  
Misao turned around, a small smile playing beneath the helmet. "I think I may have figured it out." She hit a few more keys and then turned to the side so she could look at both Kaoru and Aoshi.  
  
"The data we pulled from DoCoMo pretty much solidified what I thought," she started. "Someone is trying to modify a communications satellite."  
  
"What kind of satellite?" Kaoru asked.  
  
"It's for the new cellular network DoCoMo's been developing," Misao said. "This one is the last to be sent up before the system goes live."  
  
"When are they sending it up?"  
  
Misao frowned. "Tomorrow."  
  
"That's what they were talking about," Aoshi said, "the day Kaoru overhead them. They're fighting over a satellite?"  
  
"Yes," Misao started, "and. no. See there's a modification to the satellite. ummm."  
  
"A modification," Aoshi said understanding, "that the Japanese Intelligence Agency added. Let me guess, that's why they were at that military base the day before they died. They were picking up this 'modification'."  
  
"But why were they killed?" Kaoru said.  
  
"Because they didn't put in the military's device," Misao said, pulling up the plans. "In fact, I don't know what they put in its place. It's nothing that I've ever seen."  
  
"So why would a Hiten yakuza assassinate them? It's not like the scientists were doing anything bad to them."  
  
The sound of the blades pounded in the air. Misao's finger tapped on the keyboard and she said something softly.  
  
"What?" Kaoru asked, yelling over the blades.  
  
* * *  
  
"One satellite," Hiko said, handing over the keys to the truck. "As promised."  
  
The military general looked up at the truck. There was a huge gash in the side. Two holes in the roof. The entire from of the cab was destroyed. And the driver was lying in a body bag.  
  
Looking over at the soot covered man, the general decided not to mention the condition of the truck. "We'll load it onto the boat," he continued.  
  
Hiko nodded motioning to the well dressed men that were milling around the pier. "I have two dozen men that'll be patrolling the ship beneath deck and my best men with the captain."  
  
The general nodded.  
  
"Now, about payment," Hiko said.  
  
"Of course," the general said. "The amount has been transferred into the accounts, you can verify it with a phone call. Just bring the ship into Tanegashima and let the crew handle things, can't have the Space Agency suspect anything." He turned and walked away, leaving Hiko alone with Saitou.  
  
"They don't suspect a thing," Saitou said, watching the general walk away.  
  
Hiko smiled. "Not a thing," he said. "But then, that's the good part about working for the government. They don't think beyond the obvious. Ask them for a lot of money and that's all they think you're in it for."  
  
* * *  
  
"You hired yakuza!" Kaoru cried.  
  
"Kaoru! Keep this thing straight!!"  
  
Kaoru blinked and straightened the helicopter. "Sorry Aoshi. But.but why not just allow the military to take care of it themselves."  
  
"Because ever since World War II, the military has had to keep a very low profile," Misao was saying. "And. well."  
  
"This project was not approved by the Japanese government," Aoshi filled in, hypothesizing about what was going on.. "It's starting to make sense now. How did the Juppongatana find out about this?"  
  
"It's my organization's fault," Misao said. "We had a leak several years back and we thought we had routed out all her contacts in the department but it turns out there were a few left."  
  
"Who was she?" Kaoru asked.  
  
* * *  
  
"Komagata Yumi!" Sano said, looking over at the woman with the gun.  
  
"Sagara Sanosuke," Yumi said, holding the gun towards him. "And Takani Megumi."  
  
"I don't know what you want," Sano said pushing Megumi behind him. "But just let the girl go."  
  
"Nani?" Megumi said from behind him. "What makes you think she's here for you?"  
  
"She's Juppongatana," Sano replied. "They've already tried to get to me twice to get to Kenshin."  
  
"And maybe they finally realized you're too stubborn to die. Besides my two friends are the best police officers in the Tokyo PD. Maybe they're after me."  
  
"Damnit it, woman!" Sano cried. "Why are you always so damn prideful? You wanted chivalry, this is it!"  
  
"This isn't what I wanted!" Megumi yelled back. "I don't need you to save me. I can do it myself!"  
  
There was a gun shot and both Sano and Megumi ducked. Parts of the ceiling came down as Yumi reloaded her gun. "Let's try this again," Yumi said aiming the gun at them. "I am here for the both of you. For the reasons you both stated."  
  
Sano and Megumi looked at each other from the ground. There was an unspoken agreement between them.  
  
"Now, stand."  
  
Before Yumi could finish her sentence, Megumi and Sano took off, running back towards the kitchen and out the screen door into the backyard. He took the stone wall in one jump, landing on the edge, and leaned down to help Megumi up, falling backwards quickly as a gunshot exploded right below her foot. He hit the ground hard with the full weight of a Megumi on top of him. He felt something tear at his side and realized that he had just split a few stitches.  
  
Megumi blinked and looked down at Sano, realizing where she had landed. It could have been slightly romantic, lying like this in his arms. But several black suits were climbing up the wall with guns in their hands.  
  
"Run," Megumi said, standing up quickly and pulling him up.  
  
They took off, crossing through the neighbor's backyard and onto the main street.  
  
"We need to." Megumi started but trailed off. Looking behind her, she could see Sano clutching his side and the red spot starting to form there.  
  
"Just go on," Sano said, coming to a stop. "Try to get in contact with the others and."  
  
Megumi pulled off her jacket and walked over to him, pushing it against his side. "I'd never get away without your help," she said grimly, just as Yumi and the others caught up with them.  
  
* * *  
  
"So Yumi betrayed Japanese intelligence and took the information to the Juppongatana," Aoshi summarized. "The Japanese military developed some addition to a satellite that was subsequently replaced by whatever it was the Juppongatana wanted there."  
  
"That's it," Misao said.  
  
"You guys sure don't like doing things simply," Kaoru added. "What did the military develop anyway?"  
  
"To put it simply, it's a listening device," she said. "All the cell phones in Japan will be using this network and it'll allow us to monitor all the transmissions between people we are watching."  
  
"Isn't that violating several laws of privacy," Kaoru asked.  
  
"Why do you think it wasn't approved by the Japanese government?" Aoshi said. "And the Juppongatana, what do they want to do."  
  
"I don't know," Misao said. "But whatever it is, it's got to be bad. The Juppongatana don't exactly do low key things and Yumi was pretty high up in the intelligence command. Whatever she found, I'd never know about but. I think I know where their device is."  
  
"It's not in the satellite, then," Kaoru asked.  
  
"No, we detected the first one but it self destructed the second we pulled it from the satellite. So they'll need to install another one. There's a Juppongatana warehouse near the dock that the ferry for Tanegashima Space Center departs."  
  
"I guess it's also safe to assume," Aoshi said, "that the Jupppongatana will try to modify the satellite before it is launched."  
  
Misao nodded slowly. "The ferry is their last chance to do it before the satellite is loaded into the rocket. Kaoru, veer left here."  
  
Kaoru nodded and concentrated on Misao's instructions. It was so far above her, she realized. Here she was, an undercover officer for Tokyo PD embroiled in a secret military plot to spy on the entire population.  
  
Osaka pulled up before them and Kaoru slowly headed towards the docks, keeping her distance so as not to be seen. She could see a large transport ship docked there. They were loading something on board, but Kaoru couldn't get any details from the brief glance. Misao nodded at it and told her it was the ferry for the space center.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Misao pointed to an abandoned field near to an industrial park. Slowly, Kaoru lowered the helicopter and started to turn off the engines. Misao quickly opened the door and popped out, followed quickly by Aoshi.  
  
After he had taken several steps away, Aoshi realized his mistake. But hearing the helicopter door slam behind him, he knew he was too late. The blades were already spinning faster and Kaoru was locking the door.  
  
He walked up and pounded on the door, but she didn't look at him. As she took off, Aoshi got pushed back by the landing gear. Any anger was lost under the sound of the blades as she lifted up into the sky and back the way they came.  
  
Misao smiled slightly but Aoshi's look quieted her instantly.  
  
"Let's get this over with," Aoshi said. "We need to get back to that ferry as quickly as possible."  
  
"Right," Misao said, quickly falling into step behind him, the warehouse looming above them.  
  
* * *  
  
Kenshin at the railing of the transport ship, watching the last crane pull away. The dock men were running about, starting to untie the vessel to let her go out to sea. The wind was light here and barely ruffled the long coat he wore to conceal the sword at his side.  
  
"Good weather for sailing."  
  
Turning around, Kenshin watched as Hiko walked up to him. "I suppose."  
  
"You did a good job back there, baka deshi," Hiko said. "Saitou says you took out two assassins in two blows. Impressive."  
  
"I was taught well," Kenshin replied.  
  
"Yes. you were. But you didn't stay along for the final lesson," Hiko said. "But there will be time for that later. Make sure that you're with Enishi and the captain in five minutes."  
  
Hiko started to walk away. "Shishou," Kenshin called. The older man turned around. "Why are you doing this? I know you and money is not enough of a reason to help the Japanese government." But Hiko only smiled and turned away.  
  
Kenshin walked to the other side of the ship, looking out at the open ocean. He heard the low rumbling of gears and watched the anchor slowly being pulled up from the water. He almost walked away to join Enishi when he saw it.  
  
Whoever it was had almost completely hidden themselves between the chains of the anchor. But Kenshin's eye sight was perfect and he could tell the slight irregularities with the chain.  
  
Hand resting on the hilt of his sword, he took off slowly, heading towards the lower compartments where the anchor would be. A couple of sailors watched him go by but no one made a move to stop him as he opened the door to the anchor control room. They whispered briefly before taking off.  
  
It was empty, the sailor in charge of weighing the anchor having already left for his next job. Slowly Kenshin stepped inside, listening for movement. He could hear the water dripping off the metal chain, the water rushing against the side of the ship as it began to move, and then. silent breathing.  
  
His hand snapped forward grabbing the wrist of the hand that held the gun.  
  
"Kenshin!"  
  
Blinking out of the adrenaline rush coursing through him, he looked down and realized who it was.  
  
Kaoru was sopping wet, her black hair plastered to her face. The black clothes were wore shining with water. Her skin was filled with goose bumps, though from the rush of being attacked or the cold water, he couldn't tell.  
  
"Kaoru-dono," he said with surprise. "What are you doing here?"  
  
She smiled a bit as he let go of her hand. "I told you I'd see you in Osaka."  
  
* * *  
  
Misao leaned silently against the side of the building, her small hands gripping the small gun there. She slid down the wall and slowly craned her neck around the corner. It was clear for now but soon Aoshi would send in the diversion.  
  
She smiled. She knew she had been right about him. Stupid Okina, saying that she only though he would make a good recruit because he was so hot in his picture. She had studied him and knew he had all the makings of a good spy and an even better partner.  
  
In spying! A better partner in spying, she thought, her cheeks tingling red and giggle caught in her throat.  
  
You need to think about the job, her conscious kicked in. And it was right. If Misao failed here, then she could forget about getting Aoshi as a partner, let alone getting her old job back. If only Okina had not been so stubborn! If only he hadn't forbidden her from getting help! Why didn't he see that they were in more trouble then they could deal with them by themselves?  
  
Suddenly, the sound of skidding tires filled the air. The freight truck broke through the gate and headed straight for the warehouse doors. Through the wall, she could hear a few people panicking as it crashed through. This was her chance.  
  
She snuck inside and shot off a few rounds, watching as a few Juppongatana lackeys went down. She moved quickly, holding the gun tightly as she searched from more enemies. But there was no one else.  
  
Aoshi pushed open the truck door and landed on the ground, his own gun drawn. But he was met with a similar situation.  
  
"Clear!" Misao called, to let him know what was going on. She walked over to the bodies of the fallen men and frowned as Aoshi came up next to her.  
  
"It's not here. At least not anymore," Misao said with a frown. "They must have just moved it but. we didn't see any trucks leaving the area.  
  
Aoshi looked around the warehouse and motioned to the back. The two walked to the end and the back of the warehouse connected to a small pier. In the distance, they could see the white wakes of at least four speedboats. Their course was clearly heading back towards the ferry.  
  
"There's one boat left," Aoshi said, motioning to the long black speed boat at the end of the dock  
  
Misao ran forward and jumped into it, searching for the keys. Not finding any, she dropped under the steering wheel and started to pull at the wires until she found the right ones. The motor started up and she stood up, grabbing the wheel. Aoshi untied the line and nodded to her. Misao pushed the throttle forward and headed towards the wakes.  
  
"We won't be able to catch up with them," she called out, feeling the spray of the ocean hit her in the face.  
  
"But we know where they are going," Aoshi called back.  
  
Misao nodded, listening to the crashing waves as the speedboat bounced along. But there was something else in the mix of waves and motor. Aoshi obviously heard it to because his head snapped upward. There were two helicopters in the sky, heading right towards them.  
  
Misao frowned and held onto the steering wheel. Fly over us, she thought to herself. Just please fly over us.  
  
But the ferry was coming up fast and it was obvious that they were all headed to the same place. The water next to the boat suddenly started jumping upwards as bullets hit it. Aoshi raised his gun as Misao pulled the boat to the left.  
  
The first helicopter countered, following them while the second one went into the other direction. The bullets started to hit on the left of the boat, forcing Misao to turn back right.  
  
"They're herding us!" Aoshi called out.  
  
Misao nodded. She tried to stay on course but the bullets tore up the side of the boat. The second helicopter was aiming right for them when Misao saw it. The rocket launched a second later, barely giving her and Aoshi enough time to jump off the boat.  
  
One of the helicopters continued on to the boat while the other circles around the flaming wreckage, making sure there were no survivors.  
  
"Well, I guess your friends won't be joining us," Yumi said with a smile at her two captives.  
  
Megumi's hands were pressed on the side of the helicopter's window but she said nothing. She knew Aoshi. He wouldn't have gone down like that. But he couldn't hide forever. She needed to distract the psycho in front of her. So this was going to take a bit of acting.  
  
"You monster!" she cried, tears glistening slightly. "How could you just kill them like that!"  
  
Yumi smiled as she turned to face Megumi, much more interested in the other girl's emotions then the wreckage below. "A monster? My, my, what emotions from the cold doctor."  
  
"You cold, hearted bi."  
  
"I don't understand why you are so upset," Yumi smiled. "It was only that boy and a nasty little spy. It's wasn't that black haired girl you all seem so obsessed over."  
  
"Ka.Kaoru?" Megumi asked, emotions suddenly becoming more real.  
  
"That one. but don't worry, you'll see her soon enough. She's on the boat we're landing on." Yumi turned and tapped the pilot on the helmet. It was pointless to hover about, no one was alive down there. Besides, she couldn't wait to rejoin her lover on the ship.  
  
Aoshi watched the helicopter leave and broke through the surface of the water. A few second longer and his lungs would have burst. Someone must have smiled on him from up there to have sent the helicopter away. Turning around in the water, he started to look for Misao but the girl was no where to be seen.  
  
He dove under the water and tried to look around but the sea was too dark and the only light was from the fire of the wreckage. His lungs eventually began to scream for air and he broke through the surface. He was about to go under again, when he felt the water move around him.  
  
Misao surfaced and took a deep breath. She turned to him and smiled. "Well, that was fun," she said, trying to ignore the heated glare he was giving her.  
  
* * *  
  
".so the last chance for them to complete the job is."  
  
"On this ship," Kenshin finished.  
  
"Right," Kaoru said, pulling his jacket around her to stave off the cold. "So you need to be on the look out for them."  
  
He looked at her. "You learned this in Tokyo?" She nodded. "And flew to Osaka to tell me?"  
  
Kaoru nodded and then cleared her throat. "Well, you are my responsibility. And. ummm. I promised I would come to Osaka." Yeah, this didn't sound lame. She quickly changed the subject.  
  
"The only question is how they are going to do it," she said. "If anything is suspected when the boat reaches Tanegashima, they'll just examine the satellite and see what happened. Is there anyone on board that might be able to modify the satellite?"  
  
Kenshin shook his head. "Just a few of the Hiten thugs, the crew of the ship." he trailed off. There was another sound now, multiple engines running up along the side of the ship. Then he remembered the two sailors, watching him enter this room with suspicious looks.  
  
Gunfire erupted outside the room just as Kenshin realized what was going on. The crew! If the Juppongatana bought them off and killed the Hiten men onboard, then they could pull into port and everything would look normal.  
  
Kaoru was already reaching for her gun when the door started to push open. Knowing that no one would survive a firefight in such closed quarters, Kenshin moved quickly, grabbing her and moving quickly behind the coils of the anchor's chain.  
  
The door burst open and two men walked in holding semi-automatics. They scanned the room slowly, searching for any sign of people. But all they could see was the mechanics for anchor control and the chain coil.  
  
Crammed in a corner behind the chain, Kaoru and Kenshin watched the men survey the area. Her gun was pinned to her side, not that it would have mattered. She had no way to fire it, her entire body was being crushed to the side of the ship.  
  
Kenshin looked down at her, seeing the young officer looking out at the men scanned the area. Her breath was very shallow, she wasn't moving an inch. She really knew what she was doing, a real natural.  
  
But at the same time, it tore into him to have her in this much danger. If he had his way, she would never be in a situation like this again. Well, it wasn't that he didn't enjoy having her this close, so that he could feel every curve in her body against him. Even mixed in with sea water and anchor oil, he could smell the faint hint of jasmine.  
  
She blinked and looked up at him, as if able to read his thoughts. The men left the room but neither Kenshin nor Kaoru moved. They stayed like that for a few seconds later before gunfire outside reminded them that this was not a secret rendezvous.  
  
"I need to get upstairs to warn Enishi and the others," Kenshin said, walking towards the door. He stopped and turned to look at her. "Kaoru- dono. there's I need to."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Kaoru said waving him off. "I get this from Aoshi all the time. Imminent danger, blah, blah, could get killed, blah, lah." "No. I mean yes, but no that's not about that. Do you remember the white haired guy from the Cho?"  
  
"The one that drugged me?" she asked. "Ah, yeah. What about him?"  
  
"Was. was he familiar to you at all?"  
  
She paused, looking at him with confusion. "What do you..." she shook her head, to clear her head. "I mean, I used to know someone by that name but what does that have to do with anything."  
  
"It's the same man you knew," Kenshin said. "I know it's hard to understand but I can explain it."  
  
"No," Kaoru said shaking her head. "No," she said firmly. "I don't want to hear it."  
  
"Kaoru-dono.."  
  
"No!" she said firmly, walking towards the door. "It's not him." She moved to the handle to slowly open the door but it suddenly opened in front of her.  
  
"Kaoru!" Kenshin cried as he watched her get yanked out of the door. He rushed there just in time to watch her tumble down the stairs into the cargo area below. He tried to run down to make sure she was okay, but the sharp end of a blade was at his throat.  
  
"Himura-san," Soujirou said with a smile. "It's good to see you again."  
  
"You!" Kenshin said, stepping backwards and pulling out his sword. "So it was true, you did betray the Hiten."  
  
"Of course," he said. "And I've been waiting to heal so I could fight you again. You see, I have a promise to keep to Saitou-san."  
  
* * *  
  
Aoshi carefully lifted a hand and let the suction cup catch. Pulling up he released the other hand, swung for a second and then pulled up the other hand.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?"  
  
Aoshi paused and looked down at the feet of steel that lay beneath him and then up at what remained. "I'll be fine."  
  
Misao shifted slightly and regained her grip on his back. "Sorry, I didn't have a second pair."  
  
"It's fine."  
  
Misao smiled slightly and was about to say more when something came tumbling off the side of the boat. "Aoshi!" she cried, seeing it a moment to late.  
  
He released one arm to get out of the way just as the body came flying past him. He felt it hit him briefly but suddenly the weight of his back lightened. "Misao!" he called seeing her fall with body.  
  
With the speed of a cheetah, Misao pushed off the body and leapt upward, arm coming forward and something flying from her wrist. The grappling hook flew upward and caught the guardrail. Misao swung forward and hit the side of the boat before steadying herself.  
  
Slowly she used to wire to climb up the boat until she reached Aoshi. "Sorry about that," she said with smile.  
  
Aoshi glowered. "You had that the whole time he asked?"  
  
Misao swung slightly and smiled innocently. "Well. ah."  
  
Aoshi frowned and started climbing upwards again.  
  
* * *  
  
Sano and Megumi stepped out of the helicopter, guns pointed at their backs. Yumi smiled as she stepped on the deck. There was activity around her as the sailors and the Juppongatana men dragged the dead Hiten men up and subsequently over the side of the ship.  
  
Megumi watched with her face impassive though it was taking all her energy to do. Sano took her arm and pushed her forward as Yumi walked up the stairs to the captain's office.  
  
"It's going to be fine," Sano said, as they walked up the stiars.  
  
Megumi smiled. "Yes, if you overlook the fact that they are dumping bodies into the water."  
  
Sano started to blister but Megumi's lip quivered slightly into a smile. Sano shook his head. She was just toying with him to keep things somewhat hopeful. Walking through the door, though, ever last bit of hope faded into darkness.  
  
"Shishio-sama," Yumi said walking over to him.  
  
The tall man smiled, long black hair tied back in a high ponytail. His eyes seemed amused as she ran a hand across his smooth face. "I brought you gifts," she said with a smile.  
  
Looking over at the two people in the room, he nodded. "Good job. We'll keep them here until the others arrive."  
  
Yumi looked around with a small frown. "Where is everyone?"  
  
There was gunfire and a man with a captain's hat crashed through the side window. Through the broken glass, Shishio could see Enishi, Hiko and Saitou. Their escape had been cut short by the traitorous sailors.  
  
"You lost something," Enishi said with a smile, realizing hiding now was no longer an option.  
  
"Hmm," Shishio said looking down at the dead captain. "It can be replaced. Hiko-san, it is good to see you. And Saitou-san by his side of course. Too bad, I still think our partnership would have been better."  
  
Saitou frowned. "Enishi," he said to the younger man.  
  
Enishi nodded, climbing through the window. "Go ahead, get Hiko off the boat."  
  
"So the rumors were true," Shishio said with a smile. "The impregnable Hiko Seijuurou has been in for surgery. He can fire a gun but still can't duel."  
  
"Why worry about him," Enishi said, drawing his sword. "I can give you a much better fight."  
  
Shishio drew his sword and let the scabbard fall. "It should be interesting anyway, to skewer the little fish before heading for the shark." 


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 

The metal walkway split in half and curled to either side as Seta attacked. Kenshin's sword was out the second the young boy had taken off. But the sheer strength of the attack threw him off guard. He jumped upward just as the attack should have reached him but looking down, he could not see Seta.

Instincts kicked in at the last second and he blocked the blow coming from his right. The two fighters landed on the remaining catwalk but the metal twisted back and forth, the thin threads that still attached it to the ceiling whining at the pressure. Seta tapped his foot slightly and realized that another Shun Ten Satsu was out of the question unless he wanted to bring down the rest of it.

Kenshin moved quickly, realizing that his opponent had just lost his strongest attack. The swords clashed as the two fought to maintain balance against the precariously hanging metal walkway.

"Why?" Kenshin asked, pushing the blade against Seta's. "Why betray the Hiten? I know Hiko, he wouldn't have done anything that would make you want to betray him."

"True," Seta said, struggling to push the blade against him. "It was never about him, it was about my loyalty to Shishio-sama. His vision is the only true one."

Kenshin pushed forward firmly, sending Seta back. "What vision would that be? Why is he so intent on this satellite?"

"It's just the beginning," Seta said, regaining his balance. 

"Beginning of what?" Kenshin said, resheathing his sword and leaning forward to prepare for the next attack.

"Chaos," Seta said simply. Then he took off.

Kenshin's eyes snapped open as the attack came towards him. There was no way the metal walkway would hold. And as expected the last bits of metal finally buckled under the pressure and the walkway went tumbling to the ground.

As it fell, Kenshin realized Soujirou's plan. Flipping backwards to slow his fall to the ground, Kenshin drew his sword the moment he hit the ground and countered Seta's attack. Smart, using the acceleration of the fall to speed up his attack. 

They spun apart and Kenshin got a good look around at where they had fallen. It was the belly of the ship, the main cargo area. He saw the big box that contained the satellite, the cracks in the ceiling from where the trap doors would open. But there was one thing missing from here.

Kaoru had disappeared.

*           *           *

Misao gripped the guardrail and slowly pulled herself up. Looking around, she didn't see anyone. With a quick movement, she flipped over the guardrail and bounded for cover behind a box on the deck of the ship. Drawing the small gun she scanned the area again. There was something not right here. The place should have been crawling with guards.

Aoshi still hung from the side of the boat, realizing that Misao's prolonged silence was not a good sign. Beneath him, the sea rolled by at a slow pace. The wind tugged at his wet clothes and the only sound he could hear were the occasionally sounds of the waves against the side of the ship.

But Misao heard more than that. Standing up suddenly, she bolted across the deck, felling the rapid gunfire trailing her behind. Amateurs, she thought, turning quickly with her gun and firing at the source of the machine gun.

There was a thud just as Misao reached the safety of the other side. One down. How many more could there be?

Someone was calling out for back up. There was a thunder of footsteps followed by the audible clicks of guns. Misao counted and frowned. Okay, so there were a bit more than she had planned.

Looking to the other side of the ship, she saw Aoshi slowly climb upward and moved silently to take cover behind a couple of boxes. Misao looked over at him with a frown. She flashed her palm three times and then held up two fingers. Aoshi nodded. Yeah, he had counted seventeen too.

Misao slowly twisted her back and looked over the top of the box. She ducked quickly as several shots hit the wooden crate. And outright attack wouldn't work obviously, they had their guns trained on her location. But Aoshi… they probably hadn't seen him.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the three small balls and laced them in her fingers. She looked over at Aoshi and held up her hand to show him. She pointed towards them and held up her gun.

Right, Aoshi nodded. He could cover her. But as for what she was holding up in her hand, he could only guess that they were smoke bombs. He watched her as she held up three fingers. He nodded and began to count. Three, two, one…

He stood up and started firing towards the main group. Misao had been right, they hadn't seen him. While the Juppongatana thugs were distracted by the second enemy, Misao took off. Her hand flicked out and the ball scattered to three directions.

Sliding like a runner at home, she took out Aoshi's legs and sent him tumbling to the ground next to her. Before he could protest, her hand reached on and pushed his head to the ground.

There were three audible metal clicks as the balls rolled towards their source. The thugs pulled their guns back in surprise. But before they could react, the little metal balls suddenly exploded. 

The resulting aftershock shook the boat and even created ripples in the water around it. Misao stood up slowly, letting the debris fall from her. Aoshi followed suit and looked over at her.

"Those weren't smoke bombs," he said. Misao shook her head. Aoshi looked over the box carefully but there was no one left standing to return fire.

He got a good look at the destruction. The metal deck was curled up and the wooden crates on the deck were on fire. Alarms began to sound and Aoshi realized that the explosion had caused more than just superficial damage.

"The ship is sinking!" he said. Misao nodded silently. "You knew! You knew those devices would cause this kind of damage."

"I did," she said unhappily. "I couldn't let the satellite reach the shore."

"How long ago did you decide this?" 

She frowned. "It was the idea from the beginning, the very beginning of all this."

"So you've just been using Kaoru and I. First to investigate the Hiten, then to get into the DoCoMo building," he said, anger starting to show. 

"Yes, but… I didn't think Kaoru would fly us to Osaka. I was just going to leave you two in Tokyo and carry out the plan. We can always build another satellite but we couldn't take the chance that this one would be launched. I needed to know what they were planning so we could prevent it from happening the next time. I didn't want to hurt either of you…"

"You've been using us from the beginning," he said. "To see what the Juppongatana had planned! Kaoru was almost killed!"

"It wasn't my idea!" Misao shot back. 

"You fed us enough information," he said, "to keep the department's interest in the case up. We could have just signed off on it as a Hiten hit but all your clues, they kept us thinking that there was more to it, made us dig further."

Misao nodded unhappily. "We could never penetrate the Hiten organization. But we heard about Kaoru and decided it would be our best shot."

"Right, because you wouldn't lose any agents if she failed." Aoshi paused. "Kaoru isn't on this ship, is she?"

"I don't know," Misao said. 

"I guess it wouldn't have mattered anyway," Aoshi said standing up. Looking over, he saw something moving from behind the flames. He pulled his gun but recognized the form. 

Kaoru bounded from amidst the wreckage, headed straight for the captain's room at the other end of the ship. Aoshi frowned and started towards her. Misao watched him go. She had known this was the inevitable outcome of this job, but it didn't mean knowing about it made it any easier to face.

She looked over at the side of the boat. Okina had told her to evacuate the minute she was done but… 

Regardless of what Aoshi thought, Misao had done her best to make sure that no one got hurt because of her plan. And if it meant risking her own life again now, she was going to prove it to him. 

*           *           *

Kenshin tore his eyes away from where Kaoru should have been. She must have just run away to escape the fight. That had to be the explanation.

Seta suddenly disappeared and Kenshin turned his attention to the plume of debris the followed his attack. Seta was fast and Kenshin couldn't read his attacks. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword as he waited to try to catch a glimpse of the other boy.

In the midst of his attack, Seta smiled. Despite all the worrying on Yumi's part, it was obvious who was the better swordsman. The red headed ex-assassin no longer had the killer instinct in him. But Seta still had it, it drove him in a silent rage that never showed in any of his expressions.

In three short days, Shishio's dream would be realized and Seta would be at his side as they rained chaos on the world. That was the ultimate goal, to sweep away the corrupt leaders of the world and let the people descend into chaos. And from that chaos, the strongest would emerge and create a utopia.

A world where there was no war, where there was no pain. A world where no one would be killed over a few measly dollars in a dark street corner. Where parents wouldn't die and leave their children behind, crying in a pool of their blood. 

Seta's smile faltered as he pulled closer to Kenshin, hand wrapping around the hilt of his sword. He pulled close to the other man and drew his sword, striking towards him.

Kenshin had felt the shift in Seta's emotions just a second before and managed to turn against the attack with a drawn sword. The power behind Seta's attack was immense and for a moment it looked like Kenshin's sword wasn't going to be able to hold.

And suddenly, it was like Seta's attack exploded to a higher level. But both combatants were thrown to either side from the explosion. It took Kenshin a few seconds to realize the alarms were not just in his head but were ringing through out the entire cargo bay. There was another sound and Kenshin watched horrified as the water began to pour in from the breached hull.

He stood up, already ankle deep in water and waded over to the stairs. Before he left though, he saw Seta's form, face down in the water and unconscious. Not wasting a moment, he moved towards the younger boy and picked him up, throwing him over a shoulder as he walked up to the main deck.

The damage above the deck was worse than it was below. The ship was on fire in addition to sinking and bodies were strewn all over the place. He put Seta down and looked around, trying to get a grasp on the situation.

Suddenly two figures emerged from the smoke and Kenshin knelt down to attack. But the tall man and short girl were familiar and he relaxed.

"Himura," Aoshi said recognizing the other man. 

"What happened?" Kenshin asked. Aoshi threw a glance down at Misao.

The younger girl looked up at Kenshin unhappily. "The ship is going to sink. We need to get off it."

Kenshin looked around. "Kaoru is here. She filled me in one what happened."

"I know," Aoshi said. "I just saw her."

"You did? Where was she going?"

"Towards the Captain's…" Aoshi paused watching the emotions play out on Kenshin's face. 

Kenshin frowned. "Why would she go up there? She knows all the Hiten lieutenants are…" Kenshin paused. No, she wouldn't.

Aoshi's calm broke seeing the other man's eyes dilate. "What happened?" he said. "What did you say to her?"

Kenshin looked up at the other man, knowing that this wasn't going to go over well. "I told her the truth about one of the Hiten lieutenants. His name is Yukishiro Enshi." Kenshin paused while Aoshi's face registered the name. "She didn't recognize him but I found out it was the same man who…"

"You told her this?" Aoshi said suddenly. 

"Yes."

"She's gone after him then," Aoshi said, suddenly moving quickly.

Kenshin frowned as he took after him. "But Kaoru is smarter than that. She wouldn't try to confront him."

"Yeah," Misao said softly. "She's not the type to seek revenge."

"She's not seeking revenge," Aoshi said angrily. "She's trying to deliver her father's last message."

~~~

_A younger Aoshi walked into the small __Tokyo__ apartment, tossing his keys on the table. The police uniform chaffed at his neck, the fabric still smelled new but he was starting to break it in. Still, it would be nice to enjoy the next couple of days off._

_He walked towards the refrigerator and pulled out the leftover he had for dinner. On the table in the living room, the cell phone began to ring and Aoshi frowned unhappily. He really just wanted to spend a quiet evening without any interruptions._

_But the phone kept ringing and Aoshi finally gave up, walking over and looking at the number. He was a bit surprised to see who it was but opened it up._

_"Moshi moshi… Kamiya-san is that you? I thought you were taking Kaoru and Yahiko to Hokkai…"_

_"Aoshi-chan…"_

_Aoshi's__ heart caught in his throat. There was something wrong. Kamiya-san's voice was not the same. And it had been years since he had used chan to address him. _

_"Kamiya-san… what's wrong?"_

_"Aoshi-chan… please listen, there isn't very much time now…"_

_"Are you all right?"_

_"…I've been hurt…badly and…"_

_"I'm calling the EMT's right now," Aoshi said, walking towards his main phone and dialing the emergency number._

_"No. No, there is no time…"_

_Aoshi was yelling into the phone, the cell phone limply at his ear hearing the weak voice of his mentor and surrogate father speaking to him._

_"Aoshi-chan, please listen…" _

_Aoshi hand trembled slightly as he gave the address of the Kamiya household and let the phone drop back into its cradle._

_"Don't speak, Kamiya-san, the EMTs will be there in a few minutes," Aoshi said grabbing his keys and heading out the door._

_"They will not get here in time…" There was coughing on the other end of the phone and Aoshi's eyes were beginning to water._

_"Of course they will…"_

_"No they… Aoshi-chan, I am so proud of what you have become…"_

_"Stop talking like…"_

_"Please take care of Kaoru, she'll be all alone now. Tell her…"_

_"You'll tell her yourself," Aoshi said, breaking out of the building's door and jumping on his motorcycle. "You're going to be…"_

_"Tell her… tell her I love her and Yahiko and Megumi very much, I loved all of you so much. And tell her. Tell her she must tell Neechi that it wasn't his fault…"_

_"Kamiya-san…" Aoshi said, gripping the handles of the bike as the tears finally broke._

_"… I loved you all so much…so… very… much…"_

~~~

Enishi's sword crashed hit Shishio's with a loud clang. He had put most of his strength into the blow but it didn't phase Shishio at all. Stepping backwards, Enishi regrouped and stared at his oppenent.

So it had come to this. Enishi was finally facing someone who he might not win against. But he would buy Hiko all the time he needed. He owed the man that much. Hiko had saved him from the streets, a bleeding shell of a man who had no recollection of his past. Hiko had given him a second life, and if meant losing it to protect him, then Enishi was prepared to do it.

Enishi attacked, watching with disappointment as Shishio easily parried the move. He swung again but Shishio hit his sword away like it was a toy.

"Is that all you can do?" Shishio asked.

Enishi stopped and turned, facing his opponent. No, it wasn't all he could do, Enishi thought with a smile. He shuffled his feet and prepared for the next attack. But before he could do anything, an explosion rocked the ship and everyone in the room fell to the ground.

Sano got up first, pulling Megumi up with him. He motioned for the door, realizing it was their last chance but Yumi was suddenly there, gun drawn and shaking her head. Sano stepped back with a frown.

Shishio got up next. "What happened?"

Yumi still trained the gun on the two hostages before looking out the window. Her eyes opened in surprise. "The ship! It's on fire."

The klaxons began to sound then and everyone there realized it was much more serious than a fire.

Enishi stood up and laughed. "Looks like your plan just failed."

Shishio frowned and turned angrily to the other man. He was right, there was no way the satellite would reach the space center without rising supicions.

"Shishio-sama," Yumi said, "we need to leave."

Shishio looked over Enishi, anger blazing in his eyes. "This is your fault. If the Hiten had not gotten involved, we would have had no problems."

"Sorry to disappoint you then," he replied, pushing the white hair away from his face. "But we like things the way they are, except now, we get the added bonus of a world without you."

Shishio's eyes narrowed. "Well then, I should be the one apologizing to you, since I won't let you live to see it."

Shishio attacked and Enishi fell back, suddenly finding a sword blade in his shoulder. His legs collapsed and Shishio stepped forward, planting a foot on Enishi's chest and pulling the sword out.

"Pathetic," Shishio said, rounding his prey for the kill shot.

There was pain, a lot of pain, Enishi realized. He saw the blood dripping down his arms and legs from the wound. And suddenly, he realized that this had happened before. The lock on his memories was starting to break but he still couldn't see it, he still had no answers as to what had happened to him before Hiko had found him.

Suddenly the door swung open and she was there, gun drawn. Something in his mind snapped, and he knew he had known her from before. It was Matsuda Hana, that girl from the bar that had attracted him. That he wanted so he could hurt Kenshin but… no, there had been something more. It was something more than just the girl at the bar. He had known he before too. How… how had he known her?

"Megumi!" Kaoru cried out seeing her friend and Sano there with Yumi's gun pointed at them.

"Kaoru," Megumi said softly, so no one could hear her. Yumi had not been lying.

"Drop it," Yumi said. "Or I'll shot the girl dead right now."

Kaoru hands wavered and she dropped the gun. This was not going as planned. She had thought she could catch them by surprise but they were the ones who had surprised her.

"Well," Shishio said, "this just keeps getting better. I take it you are responsible for all this trouble."

Kaoru turned and looked at who was speaking to her. Her hands came up to her mouth as she recognized the reputed yakuza boss. This was definitely not going as planned and she realized she was in a lot of danger. She stepped backwards but found only a metal wall as Shishio approached, slashing the sword in the air.

"I'm going to thank you personally for that."

It happened in the blink of an eye. The door flew open and Kenshin, Misao and Aoshi were suddenly there. Megumi was calling out at Kaoru, knowing it was too late. Kaoru's eyes snapped shut, waiting for the inevitable strike.

But it never came.

She opened her eyes and saw the blade, just below her belly. It had been stopped and looking up she saw the reason why.

He didn't know why he had moved but something in his mind had told him to protect her. Enishi's eyes locked on hers with a mixture of confusion and pain, the long blade of Shishio having impaled him through the stomach.

Shishio pulled the blade back and Enishi collapsed forward into Kaoru's arms. She let him fall softly to the ground and turned him, so he would face her, head nestled in her lap. His eyes were frantically searching her face, still trying to decipher who she was.

"Neechi?" she said softly. Enishi's eyes widened as the flood of memories suddenly deluged his mind. His eyes started to water and Kaoru smiled slightly. "Neechi, you remember me?"

"Kaoru… I didn't… I couldn't remember but…" Suddenly images of the gun and Kamiya-san flashed through his mind. "I didn't want to remember," he said. "What did I do?"

Kaoru reached forward, gently brushing his eyes and whipping away the tears. The colored contacts in his eyes followed suit, and Kaoru found herself looking into the familiar soft brown eyes of her old friend.

"Neechi, it's all right now," Kaoru said.

"I didn't want to remember," he said, cringing his face in pain. "I didn't want…"

"Neechi, I wanted to tell you this but you disappeared," Kaoru started softly.

"I had to run away," he responded. "I had to forget because I… I…"

"Yes," Kaoru said. "You did shoot him but… he wanted me to tell you that he never blamed you for it. That it was only an accident." Enishi sobbed slightly and Kaoru carefully took his hand in hers. "If only I could have found you before…"

"It was too late," he said. "It was too…" His body spasmed, the blood pouring out of the wound. 

"Neechi…"

"We had fun, ne? At the prom?"

"Yes," she replied. "You were a wonderful dancer."

"I had wanted… I had wanted to ask you," he said, trying to fight through the pain, "if you would visit me at the university."

"Of course," she said sadly. "You know I would have."

His eyes clouded with tears. "I had nothing to give you. No money, no family except Tomoe…"

"It never mattered to me," Kaoru said.

"The only thing… I could have given you… the only thing I wanted to give you… from the moment…"

"Shhh," Kaoru said, patting his hair slightly.

"From the moment I met you…" he said the loss of blood slowly stripping away his conscious, "…my heart was yours…"

His eyes slowly closed as unconsciousness settled in. The rise and fall of his chest was slowing now and in Kaoru knew he was not going to wake up. The room was silent, the people assembled there staring in shock at the scene that had just played out. Even Yumi's eyes flickered with a bit of emotion but it quickly disappeared as Shishio looked over at her. She nodded slightly.

"So this is the famous Kamiya Kaoru," Shishio said. "Soujirou told me that you were very important to this little group," he said motioning around. "But I didn't realize how deep it ran." Kaoru looked up, locking eyes with the yakuza boss. "I might be jealous of the way you have stolen all their attention away from me. But then I am not that sort of a man."

Three gunshots broke the silence and Kaoru blinked in surprise, having felt something push against her chest. Looking down, she saw three patches slowly wetting down the black shirt she wore. Yumi pulled back her gun and reloaded it before turning back towards Megumi and Sano.

"Too bad, Yumi is not as forgiving," Shishio said with a small smile as Kaoru collapsed forward onto Enishi.


	12. Chapter 11

There was a stunned silence after Kaoru fell forward, followed by Megumi's cry as she tried to race forward. But Shishio was there pulling out his sword and looking at her viciously.

However, before Shishio could even blink someone had swatted his sword away. Turning to one side, he found himself face to face with a rather angry looking red-head. Shishio smiled, watching the violet eyes turn gold.

"So this is the famous Battousai, I've heard about. Finally, a fight worth my…" Shishio didn't even finish as Kenshin's sword made contact with his. Shishio fell back and the two combatants both sheathed their swords, eyeing the other one like a duelist at High Noon, waiting to see who would draw first.

Megumi finally reached Kaoru and turned the other girl over. Softly, she was praying for a miracle, a Kevlar vest… maybe Kaoru was wearing one. She tore open the shirt and almost broke down. There was no vest, just three neat bullet wound slowly spilling blood onto the floor.

"She'll never make it like this," Misao said, looking over at Aoshi. But the man looked completely lost at the sight of Kaoru bleeding on the floor of the ship. Looking up she locked eyes with Sano. "I have an idea, but I need someone coherent to help," she said.

"Right," Sano said. "If it'll help jou-chan, then I'll do it."

"I need a clear path the top of the ship."

Sano stood up and cracked a few knuckles. "That'll be no problem." The two departed, leaving Megumi and Aoshi behind.

Aoshi was in shock, having all his fear suddenly come to light. Kaoru was dying, right in front of him. And just like with her father, he could do nothing to help her. Megumi was trying to think of anything but she was slowly losing it as well. It was just like before, just like when she had found Kaoru's father…

~~~

__

The EMTs played cards and laughed as Megumi sat in the corner reading a medical book. It was only a few short weeks before she would have to take exams for medical school and she wanted to be ready.

"Come on Tanaki-san!" one of them called. "Have a little fun!"

Megumi looked up at them with a scowl. "I will have fun once these exams are behind me."

"You've always got exams! If you keep thinking…"

The phone suddenly rang and one of the EMTs picked it up. "All right, let's go." The group stood up and made their way to the ambulance but Megumi was stopped at the door.

"You can't go on this call."

Megumi look at the other EMT. There were only two reasons that a person was not allowed to go on a call. One is if they were under the influence of alcohol or some narcotic. And the other was…

"Oh no," Megumi said, dread creeping into her voice. "Who… who is it?"

"Megumi," the EMT started and Megumi froze. It was bad. No one called her by her first name here. And they wouldn't unless…

She pushed the man out of the way and ran to the ambulance, closing the door behind her so he couldn't argue anymore. Megumi was torn as she stared at the floor. She forced herself to look out the window to see where they were headed but instantly wished she hadn't. The landscape was too familiar and the street…

She was running up the stairs, in to the bedroom when she saw and froze, falling to her knees. The other EMTs tried to push out of the way, but Megumi shook them off, trying to hold down the bleeding wound of Kamiya-san. But they were pulling her away as the pulled out the shock paddles, to try to do what Megumi had realized was already impossible.

Five minutes later, she sat in the corner of the room, blood up to her elbows as she watched them drape the body with a blanket. 

~~~

"Megumi!" Aoshi called out, shaking her out of the memory. She locked eyes with him and saw it there. She nodded in agreement. They weren't going to lose another Kamiya. Not like this.

"Take you jacket and press it against the wounds. We have got to stop the bleeding." She searched around and found a pressure point. "Watch her breathing, if it stops we'll need to do CPR." 

Several feet behind them, the two fighters still stood watching each other. Shishio with a smile on his face, Kenshin with an emotionless glare. Not a sound passed between them but the emotions were crystal clear.

And the suddenly, they both disappeared in a blur of speed as they attacked. Two Battou Jutsu drawn at the same time, neither of them scored a hit. They reappeared on the opposite side of the room. Shishio breathed heavily but still smiled slightly.

"I see Hiko taught you well," he said. "This should be…"

He stopped short as Kenshin disappeared into the air. Shishio barely had time to block the Ryu Tsui Sen that hit him from above. Before Kenshin's feet even hit to floor, Shishio was pushing upward, fighting against gravity and the force of Kenshin's blow, sending the red haired man back into the air and back the way he came.

Kenshin looked and realized Shishio was already on the move again. His speed was almost as fast as Kenshin's but…

Kenshin paused, noticing that the room was slowly starting to fill with smoke from the fire outside. And there was movement in the smoke that could only be from…

He blocked the attack on his left effortlessly, unsheathing his sword quicker than should have been possible. Shishio cursed and tried to turn away but never expected the next attack. With the swords touching each other, Kenshin brought the sheath forward, slamming it into the Yakuza boss's side. 

Shishio fell back clutching the throbbing side, wondering exactly how many ribs had been broken in that attack. He resheathed his sword and prepared for the next attack. The smoke was beginning to obscure his view but he realized two things. One was the Yumi had disappeared. Second was that so had Kenshin.

***

Misao landed a well-placed kick in the guard's groin, pushing the body over the side of boat she continued her approach to the roof the ship. Behind her, Sano was taking out more than enough guards to clear the way for her. He paused for a second and gave her the thumbs up. All clear.

He walked over and leaned down, lacing his hands to give her a place to stand from. Misao put her foot there and felt him throw her upwards, just as a gunshot filled the air. Misao landed on the roof not quiet as deftly as she would have wished. Looking down quickly, she saw Sano clutching his arm.

"So, it will end like this."

Misao looked up and saw Yumi pointing the gun at her. "The only thing that's over is you," Misao said, watching the other woman's hand on the gun.

"Really?" Yumi said. "Strange but I appear to be holding the gun at you. Come on, comrade, why not just give up. We used to work for the same government right?"

"Yeah, but you betrayed them," Misao snapped.

"And you didn't?" Yumi asked. "Bringing those two cops to DoCoMo and then here. I know what goes on in the intelligence department and they are going to arrest you for treason the minute they find you."

Misao smiled. "Yeah, I know. But I'm kind of hoping bringing you in will help me get off on a lighter sentence."

"You'll have to catch me first," Yumi said. She fired the gun but Misao was gone, running across the roof to get to the communications tower. The bullets cut up the ground behind her but Misao was too fast for Yumi to catch.

The younger girl cowered behind the communications tower and moved to her leg, pulling out the gun she had there. Looking down, she realized she had only about three bullets before she was out of ammo.

Slowly, Misao moved to the other side, looking out to see if Yumi was still there. A gunshot hit the railing just above her head and Misao got out of the way.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are," Yumi said, sliding up to the communication tower. She held the gun in her straightened arms. She paused at the corner and swung quickly around fire the gun at where Misao should have been.

"What…" Yumi started, not sure how she had lost the other girl.

"Put the gun down," Misao said, placing the barrel of the gun directly on top of Yumi's head. Yumi slowly turned her head upwards, looking at the young spy hanging from the tower above her. The gun dropped from her hand.

"Hands on top of your head," Misao said evenly, not moving the gun for a minute.

"Really, I think we can come to an agreement about this," Yumi said reaching her hands behind her head. Her fingers laced around the back of her head and she quickly pulled out one of the sticks holding her hair up. Misao didn't have time to react as the sharpened stick came at her leg.

But Yumi's hand suddenly fell, as did the rest of her body as Sano kicked her legs out. He had planned it perfectly, he thought with pride. Watching the fight from the ground, Sano had felt helpless with his arm shot. But he had waited until Yumi got close enough to the edge, so he could swing upward and take her legs from under her.

He still hung from the roof of the ship, his one good hand turning white from the effort. Misao ran over helped him pulled himself over. She handed him the gun.

"Just keep her here," Misao said, climbing up the communication tower. She reached the top and found the tiny satellite dish that the ship used for communicating with the outside world. 

From her vantage point at the top of the tower, she finally got a good look at the state of the ship. It was completely engulfed in flame and listing to one side. The ship really was going to sink. She looked up at the satellite and realized she had no choice. She had to call for back up if any of them were going to survive.

Taking a small homing beacon from her pocket, she stuck it onto the satellite, pulling the tiny wire attached to it. She took the knife from her side and quickly striped the wire attached to the dish and attached the tiny wire from the beacon there. The beacon lit up and began strobbing. 

That was it, she realized. All they could do was wait.

***

Shishio's eye flickered around as he tried to search for Kenshin. But the smoke around him was still, there was no sign of a potential attack. No sound either. There should have been sound, Shishio realized. But by then it was too late.

The smoke in front of him folded inward, sucked in by the vacuum created by Kenshin's next attack. Shishio's eyes barely had a chance to register what happened next. 

Head, left shoulder, right shoulder, left arm, right arm, left wrist, right wrist, between the legs and the right through the chest.

There was no protecting against that. Shishio's form crumpled as it flew backwards, crashing through the one remaining glass window. He hit the guardrail outside hard, hearing the metal whine under the stress of his weight and the immense heat of the fire on the deck below.

Kenshin moved quickly, knowing that letting Shishio fall would be no better than killing him himself. He reached Shishio just as the guardrail began to bend backwards. Kenshin's hand snapped forward and he grabbed the other man's hand as he pitched backwards.

"Shishio!" Kenshin called up, trying to get the other man's attention.

Shishio was looking up, his face slightly orange from the reflection of the flames below. His eyes reflected the blue sky and a certain sense of emptiness. Kenshin pulled back, trying to get him to safety but Shishio never helped him. Kenshin's last attacked had stunned him into silence.

"Shishio!" Kenshin called one more time.

Suddenly, the yakuza boss blinked and locked eyes with Kenshin, a wicked smile playing across his lips. His free hand came up and Kenshin barely had time to register that the sword was coming right for him.

The sword pierced his shoulder and Kenshin's hand opened from the shock. Shishio plummeted downward into the fiery depth of the ship as Kenshin struggled backward, sword still imbedded in his shoulder. 

With a grimace, Kenshin wrapped his hands around the blade and pulled, letting the sword clatter to the floor. He stood up slowly and walked to the edge of the ship and looked down, seeing only the inferno. Shishio was gone.

Turning away, Kenshin stumbled back to the others. Kaoru… no… she couldn't have been…

The air above him erupted into sound as two helicopters emerged from the clouds. They hovered steadily, ropes tossed down from them followed quickly by fully uniformed soldiers. 

Kenshin's knees felt like they were going to collapse but he pushed on, finally making it back to the captain's room to see the damage there. The soldiers were quickly strapping both Kaoru and Enishi to stretchers, barely managing to get past Megumi and Aoshi who would not let their hands leave their friend.

"Oi, you're alive." Kenshin looked up just as Sano dropped down from the roof. From the looks of it, his friend hadn't faired much better, blood freely flowing from a wound in his arm in addition to the old one at his side. Yumi followed next, Misao keeping a gun trained on her the entire time before she too jumped down off the roof.

"Sir," a soldier was yelling at him. "We need to…" 

Kenshin nodded just as one of the helicopters lowered itself to nearly the ground. He and Sano made their way over, just getting in when they heard the commotion behind them.

Guns drawn, ten soldiers surrounded Misao and began screaming at her to drop her weapon. They were already handcuffing Yumi and Misao realized that the inevitable was about to happen.

"Makamaci Misao, you are under arrest for treason against the country of Japan," a soldier said before pinning her arms behind her, "abuse of government equipment, espionage…"

Misao sighed. Well, it's not like she had had a choice. Looking up, she watched the helicopters take off. Besides, it had been worth it. With a push the steered her towards the end the ship where there were two black speedboats waiting. Okina looked up as she came in and then just looked away, nodding to the driver to take them away.

The tanker burned for three hours. News reports said it had been the result of a catastrophic malfunction in the engine room. And then suddenly, the breach in the hull finally overcame the fire and sank the ship, sending it to the bottom of the Japanese Sea.

***

"I can't stop the bleeding…"

"There were three bullet wounds. The first two didn't hit anything vital. Where is the third?"

"I can't find it. Damn it, she's bleeding out!"

"Calm down… okay, keep the camera steady… there's a lot of blood, the bullet must be…"

"Oh shit…"

"It hit her heart, crack the chest!"

"Forget it, the damage is too much, you can see…"

"Don't argue, just do it!"

"Get me the rib spreaders…"

"…God… it's a mess…"

"Just call it. We can't repair that."

"…"

"Doctor… you can't repair that!"

"…"

***

Kenshin sat with his head leaning backwards. His arm had been bandaged and any attempt by the doctors to have him stay in a room had died on their lips with one look from the red headed man. 

Finding the others was not hard. There was only one place for them to be waiting. And he had found Aoshi sitting emotionless, staring out the hospital window. Megumi flitted back and forth, yelling at nurses for any updates. But no one could help her. Sano even managed to make his way up there after getting stitches and having taken the same approach to the doctor's suggestions as Kenshin had.

Four hours after they had arrived at the hospital, Yahiko had arrived, still out of breath. The poor kid had probably caught the first flight out of Tokyo to get here this fast. And when he arrived, no one could even give him the comfort he needed. They were all lost in their own thoughts. He took a seat by himself and held a silent vigil with the rest of them.

Eight hours had passed when Kenshin noticed Megumi had disappeared for almost a half-hour. He got up and looked up and down the halls but she was no where in sight. Sano looked up at him with a questioning look but Kenshin could only shrug. He had no idea where the female doctor had gone.

Sometime after the sun had set and the tanker had been pulled into the sea, Megumi finally reappeared. Her hand clenched at her sides, her face pale and her eyes bloodshot from what could have only been crying.

Kenshin stood up, his movement attracting the others attention. His heart in his throat, he watched as the other woman tried to find the right words. Sano couldn't even look up. Aoshi's face paled as he turned to face her. Yahiko's boyish face twitched slightly.

"Enishi got his wish," she said finally, struggling to keep the smile there from beneath the sadness. "He gave her his heart."

***

Three months later…

__

This is Yamato Giri for Japanese News Tonight. Top stories tonight. Hostages were rescued from rebel fighters in the jungles of Indonesia today. Details are sketchy at best but all the hostages appear to be fine, including the seven Japanese in the group. Government officials are commending the Indonesian military for their swift action in this case.

The LDP suffered another blow today as one of their top politicians was found guilty of embezzlement and fraud. Viewers will remember the story broke on this channel first when a tape of a cell phone conversation was delivered to us by an anonymous source. This is the third official in five weeks to have been found guilty of unlawful business practices.

Tokyo police are attempting to reassure the public tonight after releasing a report that the seventh murder in the Red Light district this week had all the trademarks of the Juppongatana yakuza hit. Police officials still maintain that the once powerful yakuza was disbanded when their leader disappeared three months ago. The second in command, Komagata Yumi, is still behind bars awaiting trial.

In sporting news, the Hiroshima Carps continue to surprise baseball fans as they…

"Yahiko! Turn off the TV and help me!"

Yahiko sighed and grabbed the remote, turning off the screen and moving into the kitchen. The place was alive with activity as several pots threatened to boil over. Yahiko peeked into one of them and tried to grab a piece of the food. Megumi's hand snapped out quickly and rapped him on the knuckles with a wooden spoon.

"I said help, not eat!" Megumi chastised.

"Ow!" Yahiko said pulling his hand back. "You could have just said not to touch it! Besides, why are you doing all the cooking? I thought this party was for you!"

Megumi sighed. "And who else would cook?" she asked. "Or pay for a caterer? Now just start bringing the food out."

Yahiko sighed and grabbed a platter of vegetables and dip and walked outside, trying to push his way past all the guests there. It looked like most of the hospital had turned out for Megumi's party along with half of the cops from the precinct. Yahiko finally made his way to the table and put the platter down.

"Yahiko?" He looked up quickly over at the voice. 

Kaoru smiled slightly as he caught her eye. Her long brown hair had been plaited and lay against her back, brushing lightly against the soft fabric of her dress. Her face still seemed a bit thin but her smile was there.

"Nani?" he asked, looking over at her.

"Can I help?" she asked.

"Iie," Yahiko said shaking his head vigorously. "Megumi'll kill me if she sees you working. Just sit down and let us do the work."

Kaoru sighed. "I've been sitting down for three months," she said angrily. "I think I can carry a tray…"

"Just let it go jou-chan, Megumi has us all under strict orders." The two looked up just as Sano sat down, holding a cup of beer in his hand. 

"Feh, she has you whipped and you're not even dating her," Yahiko said, before returning to the house.

"OI!" Sano called in protest but Yahiko was already out of earshot. So he just settled on a deep frown.

"Come on Sano," Kaoru said with a smile. "Lighten up. Yahiko is like that with everyone."

Sano frowned and looked over at her with a sigh. "Yeah, yeah." He paused. "Look jou-chan, I wanted to say…"

"Thank you for letting us stay in your house," Kaoru finished. Sano smiled slightly. "You don't have to tell me every day. I'm glad you could be there," she said. "It's time that house was alive again, ne?"

She paused and looked out at all the people in her backyard. Her backyard, she repeated to herself with a smile. It had hit her in the hospital, that she just wanted to go home. Not to Tokyo or the apartment there, not to Gensai-sensei's house but home… 

She sighed slightly and put her hand to her chest, feeling the bandages there. She hadn't understood what happened at first but in the weeks, but she had finally come to realize the immensity of what she had been given. Neechi and Kaoru had both survived the trip to the hospital but his brain had stopped functioning shortly afterwards. And when it turned out that she needed a heart…

Neechi, she thought slightly back to the brown-haired boy of her past. It could have been… demo…

She looked away and back at the crowd, finding the familiar red hair there. She smiled and waved slightly when he caught her eye. He nodded at her slightly before turning back to his conversation.

Well there were other things to think of now, she decided. With Yahiko back home with her and her two boarders… eh, well one boarder and one free-loader, she said casting an eye over to Sano. She was getting the chance to start again.

"What?" Sano said, catching her glance at him.

"Nothing," she said with a smile. "Demo… did you find a job yet?"

Sano's eyebrow twitched. He looked over at her. "Not yet."

"Have you even been looking?"

Twitch, twitch. "Yes… I… Have…" he said evenly. "I'm just not like Kenshin who finds his dream job the first day out. Antique sword dealer… what god of luck was smiling on him?"

Kaoru sighed. "You could always take up my offer to get you into the academy."

Sano laughed. "Like they would ever accept me…"

"Well I could…"

"Hey look," Sano said, suddenly changing the subject. "It's Grim, I'll go get him for you."

Kaoru frowned watching Sano escape yet another employment discussion. Sano reached Aoshi and pointed him towards Kaoru. The detective looked up and walked over.

"What did you…" Aoshi started but stopped when he saw Kaoru's expression. "Ah, I see. Tried to get out of a job talk again."

"Feh," Kaoru said unhappily. "It'll take a miracle to get him to think about work." She paused and looked at him. "So… how's work?"

Aoshi shrugged. "Fine, just normal cases."

"Miss the excitement of our last one?"

"Yeah, petty thieves and drug dealers seem too easy now." He sighed. "But it needs to be done."

Kaoru smiled. "So… no word, eh?"

Aoshi paused. Word? No, he doubted he'd ever hear from the little spy again. After all, if yelling at her hadn't been enough to steer her away, it looked like she had been arrested as soon as they left the ship. She had known what would happen and still… still she had called for help.

"I don't really expect any," Aoshi looked over with a shrug. "I'm going to go help Megumi."

Kaoru watched him leave with a frustrated sigh. Damnit! Everyone kept running away when she asked them about important things. Aoshi was getting pretty damn impossible with his glowering all the time. And they were still treating her like a baby, like she couldn't handle things. Just because she got a little hurt…

The party picked up steam as Gensai finally pushed Megumi out of the kitchen and out to greet the crowd. There were lots of congratulations over her recent promotion to professor at Tokyo University, most of which Megumi would just nod at, as if there had never been any question that she would make it there.

And after the cake had been served and the last of the beer was drunk, there were only six people left behind, sitting at the table looking up at the night's sky. Sano lay back in his chair, can of beer resting on his stomach. Aoshi sat in the chair, looking down intently at the grass. Megumi held a glass of wine in her hand, eyes closed in thought. Yahiko was having his ninth (or was it tenth) piece of the cake despite Kaoru's constant glares which could only make Kenshin smile.

"It was nice," Megumi said. "Thank you for it."

"Well you did most of the work," Kaoru said, looking up at her. "I said I would help you with the cooking…"

"NO!" the group said together. Kaoru looked around angrily but let it go as the rest of them just chuckled. The laughter slowly faded into silence again but no one seemed to mind. Even three months later, they were enjoying the peace as much as they can.

The screen door to the kitchen suddenly opened and the group turned around, trying to make out who it was in the darkness. Gensai motioned her outside and the guest moved slowly down the steps and across the grass. Her hands were holding manila envelopes and her long braid slowly swished back and forth as she walked.

"You!" Sano said, recognizing her.

Misao smiled and attempted a small wave. "Ummm… so hi," she said with a smile. "How are you all doing?"

"Wait a minute!" Sano said. "You were arrested for treason! Kenshin and I saw it before we left."

Misao tilted her head back and forth. "It kind of works different where I work. Besides bringing in Komagata kind of helped my plea."

"Did you go to prison?" Kaoru asked.

"Worse," she sighed. "Jungle… worst mosquitoes ever." She paused looking around, clearly avoiding Aoshi's glare. "So… I didn't want to intrude but I thought you might want to get these as soon as possible."

She walked over and handed over the two envelopes to Sano and Kenshin. The two looked at each other and opened them, surprised to find a bunch of paperwork and a passport. 

"What's this?" Kenshin asked, looking at the passport.

"For all your help," she said. "I pulled a few favors and managed to clear your slates so to speak. Thought you guys could use a fresh start."

Kenshin opened the passport, not knowing what to be more surprised at. There was a picture that that he had clearly never taken. But more than that… the name at the top was Himura Kenshin. 

"Hey!" Sano said happily. "Look! I don't have a police record anymore."

"Great!" Kaoru said looking at him with a smile. "Now you'll have no problem finding a job!" Sano's happiness fell as Kenshin and Megumi laughed 

"Oh yeah," Misao said. "I wanted to let you know that if any of you ever needed a job," she continued, "after the whole satellite incident, we'd be glad to have you." She paused for a minute. "So I've got to get going, flight's leaving in a few hours."

And before they could say anything, she jogged off heading back towards the front of the house.

"Well that was strange," Megumi said watching her go. Kaoru shot her a wink and the doctor turned professor nodded. "You know, she probably could have had a messenger send this."

"Yeah," Kaoru said with a nod. "I mean, it sounds like she real busy." She sighed. "I might be nice, though to have her job. All the excitement, no more boring cases…"

"Exotic locales," Megumi continued. "And I bet the pay was pretty good."

Aoshi stood up and looked at the two of them before taking off for the house. Megumi and Kaoru smiled at each other.

"I don't want to miss this," Yahiko said, jumping up and running after him.

"Yahiko!" Megumi called. "Damn, he's right though," she said standing up and following him. 

Kaoru made a move to the same thing but suddenly she found herself not sitting down on the chair. Rather she had been swept up and was being carried towards the house. Looking over, she could help but smile at the familiar face.

"Megumi's orders," Kenshin said with a slight smile, as Sano got the door and snickered. They walked out the front door just in time to see the scene play out.

Misao was still there, sitting on Aoshi's bike, slowly turning a helmet in her hand. She looked up with a small sigh and threw it at him.

"Come on already," Misao said. "We'll miss our flight… partner." He walked up to her and looked down at her for a moment before slipping the helmet on and taking a seat on the bike. 

Kenshin put Kaoru down next to Megumi, letting the girl stand with her friend before melding back into the background and watching the two girls waved their friend off.

"I never thought I'd see the day," Gensai said, standing next to Kenshin. "But it is good to know that they are no longer so worried about Kaoru. Demo… I bet he checks in every day." The older man laughed. "I suppose so long as there is a Kamiya, there will always be people worrying."

Kenshin smiled. "I guess… but Himura… that's a nice name." Gensai looked over with a raised eyebrow but Kenshin was looking away at the receding motorcycle.

~FIN~

***

Author's note: Hmmm… there are so many loose ends. And well, no resolution on the relationship front at all… and oh, come on, you know Shishio didn't die because we all know what happens to him after the fire…

Sigh…

There's only one thing to do then…

To Be Continued in **Boulevards of Las Vegas**. It might be Sano's dream city but it's about to turn into paradise lost as old villains, faces from the past and a new allies come on to the stage. It's Kenshin-gumi… Vegas style.


End file.
